LETTER: Time for alternative BEE policy
The empowerment policy does not benefit those it is meant to and a better way can be found to assist those that need help
Correct as he is about the growing chorus of condemnation of black economic empowerment (BEE), a more biting critique of the policy than Andile Ntingi’s contribution is hard to imagine (“BEE fattens the elite and leaves crumbs for the poor masses” (../2020-08-30-andile-ntingi-bee-fattens-the-elite-and-leaves-crumbs-for-the-poor-masses/), August 30).
Experience from around the world suggests that policies based on ascriptive group identity invariably produce the outcomes he points to. Where preferences are extended to “groups”, advantages and benefits will accrue to those best placed to seize them, who tend not to be those whose plight is invoked as a justification for such policies in the first place...
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