A significant political debate over racial redress is intensifying within South Africa’s coalition government. The Democratic Alliance (DA), the second biggest party in the coalition, has proposed a bill to repeal race-based legislation designed to favor Black-owned businesses bidding for government contracts. The party has also called for scrapping the African National Congress (ANC)’s flagship Black Economic Empowerment program. The DA argues these policies have fostered corruption and failed to alleviate poverty for most Black South Africans. Instead, it proposes using poverty as the criterion for support. The proposal has sparked tension with the ANC, which insists that race-based legislation is essential for redress in a country where white people still occupy over 60% of top management positions despite being just 7% of the population. While passage is unlikely, the bill intensifies debate on economic equity and post-apartheid policy reform.
Reuters
