How ANC's collusion with big businesses undermines transformation

SOUTH Africa's post-apartheid journey has been marked by a bold constitutional promise: to dismantle the economic structures of racial privilege and build a society where the black majority can share in the country’s wealth and opportunities. Central to this promise are the empowerment laws, Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and Affirmative Action (AA), crafted to drive economic inclusion and redress decades of exclusion.

- NCO DUBE

Yet, nearly three decades on, the slow pace of transformation and the growing backlash against these laws reveal a darker reality: a coordinated agenda, both local and global, to halt transformation, preserve white privilege, and enrich a narrow elite.

At the heart of this crisis lies a deeply troubling collusion between big business and ANC elites. A symbiotic relationship that has subverted the original intent of empowerment laws, turning them into tools for elite enrichment rather than broad-based economic justice.

The Promise and the Betrayal of Empowerment

When the ANC was unbanned in 1990 and South Africa embarked on its democratic journey, the vision was clear: to dismantle apartheid’s economic legacy and create a more equitable society. BEE and AA laws were designed to open doors for black South Africans through ownership, management, employment equity, and skills development.

There have been pockets of progress. Black ownership and representation in certain sectors have increased, and a black middle class has emerged. Some black entrepreneurs have thrived, and certain companies have made genuine strides in employment equity. But for the ordinary black South African, the man on the street, these gains have often been invisible or out of reach. Poverty, unemployment, and inequality remain entrenched, and the benefits of transformation have been captured by a small, politically connected elite.

This failure is no accident. It is the product of systemic corruption, incompetence, and a political will that has been fatally compromised by the very leaders entrusted with delivering transformation.

The Symbiotic Relationship Between Big Business and ANC Elites