Tutu takes swipe at BEE elite
Matome Sebelebele
24 November 2004
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has taken a swipe at what he called a small "recycled" elite who exploit the government's black economic empowerment (BEE) policy.
Delivering the second annual Nelson Mandela Lecture in Johannesburg on Wednesday, the Nobel peace laureate said that the country's black elite seemed to have forgotten that one of the liberation struggle's objectives was that "the people shall share" in the economy.
"We were involved in the struggle because we believed we would evolve a new kind of society, a caring, a compassionate society", Tutu said. "At the moment, many, too many, of our people live in grueling, demeaning, dehumanising poverty."
What is black economic empowerment, he asked, "when it seems to benefit not the vast majority but a small elite that tends to be recycled? Are we not building up much resentment that we may rue later?"
Tutu's address echoed a growing concern in the country that
empowerment could be benefiting a small black elite only.
In October, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel posed similar questions to the Association of Black Securities and Investment Professionals, asking if black business understood the government's economic policies.
"Have we achieved true transformation and empowerment if lucrative deals are structured that add to the boundless wealth of an elite few, while leaving the plight of the majority unchanged?", Manuel asked
And Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad, speaking at the 40th annual convention of the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce this week, said it was not enough for black businesses to acquire stakes in white-owned firms and just be content with doing "business as usual".
He said they ought to contribute to skills development, employment equity, and small business development.
Conversely, Pahad said, it would be an error for white-controlled companies to think that transferring
their minimum equity obligations was the beginning and end of BEE.
Source: BuaNews
| 
