LETTER: BEE model needs to be scrapped, not empowerment

No sane and honest person can argue that the current BEE model , which was adopted by the ANC in the early 1990s, has been anything other than a colossal failure (“Is BEE here to stay or is it facing its demise?”, January 23). It has served only to enrich an already wealthy elite. Some analysts have rightly renamed it “blatant elite enrichment”.

However, the idea of race-based empowerment in light of our country’s history remains a noble one. I have observed that those who oppose race-based empowerment tend to use the failures of the current BEE model to taint it in general and drive the narrative that it is wrong.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with race-based empowerment. The problem lies in the current model that has been used to advance it. What we need to do is to scrap the current model and replace it with one that will empower millions of black people and not just a tiny elite.

Ayanda Sakhile Zulu

Via email

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