Replace BEE With Empowerment That Genuinely Lifts All South Africans Out of Poverty

Statement by John Steenhuisen MP – Leader of the Democratic Alliance:

Editor: Here is a workable proposal to replace BEE and address the past.

The Democratic Alliance has taken careful note of the President’s Reply to the State of the Nation Address Debate today.

We reject the protection of BEE, which has benefited only politically connected elites at the expense of the poor, who remain trapped in poverty, locked out of employment, and with little hope of climbing the opportunity ladder. We will continue to fight for an alternative that creates a more inclusive economy for all. It is for this reason the DA has tabled the Economic Inclusion for All Bill. We will relentlessly pursue the replacement of BEE with policy that truly focuses on addressing poverty.

South Africa stands at a critical juncture. There are encouraging signs of stabilisation under the Government of National Unity, including improving economic fundamentals and renewed investor confidence. Most recently the Quarterly Labour Survey reflected employment gains in certain sectors and Provinces (most notably Western Cape). This progress reflects the value of cooperation, reform pressure, and the injection of competence into government.

However, stability is not the same as prosperity. The gains are slow and are not felt evenly. South Africans are still living with severe unemployment, crime, failing municipalities, and economic growth that is far below what is required to create jobs at scale.

The DA remains committed to the Government of National Unity because it is helping to stabilise South Africa after years of governance failure, and because it serves as a bulwark against instability and extremist policy alternatives.

But participation in the GNU does not mean passive support. It means driving reform from within, fighting corruption, and holding the executive accountable where urgency is lacking.

Where the President’s Reply reaffirmed reform, we welcome it. Where it fell short of decisive action, we will continue to push for faster implementation.

The key test following the SONA and the President’s Reply is whether government will accelerate structural reforms that unlock growth and jobs.

The DA has consistently called for urgent reforms including:

• Improving our ports and rail through accelerated private concessions
• Ending cadre deployment and enforcing merit-based appointments
• Accelerating energy market reform and the unbundling of Eskom
• Pro-investment policy certainty. For example BEE must be replaced by an alternative that address poverty, not race, such as the DA’s Economic Inclusion for All Bill, to attract capital and create jobs

These are practical economic reforms, not ideological positions, and they are essential to achieving sustained growth.

We have begun to turn a corner, but turning the corner is not the destination.

South Africans need faster growth, safer communities, functional municipalities, and a government that delivers tangible improvements in their daily lives.

The DA will continue to use its position in the GNU and in Parliament to push for faster, bolder reform so that South Africa moves beyond stabilisation and onto a path of sustained growth, job creation, and opportunity for all.