US demands exemption from BEE rules

Matter raised by White House officials, says Freedom Front Plus

- MASHUDU SADIKE

THE Trump administration has reportedly demanded that US entities be exempted from all Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) requirements as a precondition for normalising bilateral relations with South Africa.

This is according to the Freedom Front (FF) Plus. A delegation from the party recently returned from the US where they met with senior White House officials.

FF Plus leader Corné Mulder yesterday said he is yet to brief President Cyril Ramaphosa on the matter.

There are more than 600 US companies based in South Africa.

According to the party, the demand is part of a broader set of conditions that include addressing farm attacks, condemning the “Kill the Boer" chant, and ensuring fair market compensation for land expropriation.

Mulder said that White House officials expressed concern that these conditions have not been adequately addressed.

In May, Ramaphosa and his delegation embarked on a working visit to the US to meet with US President Donald Trump to help reset strained relations between the two countries and secure a favorable trade deal after a fallout over the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Israel that had been instituted by South Africa.

Mulder, who held a press briefing yesterday, said the party is committed to normalising relations between South Africa and the US and described Ramaphosa's visit with Trump in May as ‘premature.

“We have a clear understanding of the US administration's expectations,’ Mulder said.