Poor not served by BEE – Mantashe

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe has criticised the government’s black economic empowerment (BEE) policy, saying it is of no benefit to the millions of poor South Africans.

Mantashe was delivering the keynote address at the 60th Freedom Charter lecture in Qunu, the home of the late former president Nelson Mandela.

He said BEE had less impact on the masses of poor South Africans because it had created a few black capitalists.

“It does not benefit poor South Africans as social grants and the national student financial aid scheme said Mantashe.

The seminar was hosted by the Nelson Mandela Museum.

Mantashe said: “It does not benefit everybody because it is not a social programme.”

He said sharing in the country’s wealth must be understood

does,” as a concept of hard work, where people were assisted to access funding so that they could convert their ideas into wealth.

Mantashe also against corruption.

“We must also, in the process remove the myth of sharing

warned in the country’s wealth being reduced to dishing out resources for consumption.

“Wealth is created through hard work and involvement.

“The BEE project has registered relative success but not enough. Many of our people had access to shares and only related to those companies through the dividends without involvement in the operations.

“South Africa of Nelson Mandela’s dream would be one where we take more responsibility for the operations so that there is depth of knowledge about the various sectors of the economy.”

He said it was the responsibility of every leader in all sectors to ensure that economic freedom became a reality.

He said access to land was also key to economic freedom.

“Land will be used to banish famine and hunger … and contribution to food security.”

Mantashe said social grants were contributing positively to the reduction of abject poverty.