Dear Editor
The Democratic Alliance (DA) today unveiled a new billboard that lays bare a truth South Africans already know: The ANC’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy has failed. It has made a handful of politically connected individuals wealthy, while the rest of the country has been left behind.
For three decades, this policy has been sold as empowerment, but it has delivered the opposite. Millions remain locked out of the economy, with 12 million South Africans unable to find work and 44 million struggling just to afford their next meal.
While a few benefit from inflated contracts and state tenders, the majority continue to pay the price for corruption and greed.
The DA’s message is simple: if South Africa is to grow, create jobs, and reduce poverty, we must replace the ANC’s race-based system with one that truly includes everyone.
That is why the DA has introduced the Economic Inclusion for All Bill that rewards job creation, skills development, and real community investment instead of political connections.
This billboard captures the choice that now faces South Africa: continue down the same failed path that made ANC elites rich and left South Africa poor, or choose real opportunities for all by voting DA.
Unlike the ANC’s system that encourages fronting and patronage, the DA’s approach focuses on need, fairness, and tangible empowerment. It supports small businesses, removes red tape, and builds local economies where opportunity is earned, not given to the well-connected.
The DA calls on all South Africans, businesses, and civil society to support the Economic Inclusion for All Bill and sign the petition at endpoverty@da.org.za.
Together, we can replace corruption disguised as empowerment with a system that gives every South African the chance to work, grow, and thrive.
Regards
Mat Cuthbert MP
DA Head of Policy