The current black economic empowerment (BEE) programmes are too narrow to transform South Africa’s economy sustainably, Willy Madisha of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said on Monday.
Opening the labour federation’s eighth national congress, he said the programmes sought, above all, to enrich a small minority without ensuring broader overall empowerment and ownership for workers.
”We must emphasise that our understanding of BEE is not fighting over government tenders, but a situation where the majority of our people can engage with and benefit from the economy,” he said.
”We don’t believe the few must be enriched at the cost of the majority.”
Madisha said Cosatu had called for a far-reaching transformation of the economy, based on improved basic services for everyone, broader ownership of productive assets as well as improved education and skills development.
”The government’s failure to carry out these policies vigorously, partly because of spending cuts imposed by the growth economic and redistribution (Gear) policy, means we have failed to meet many of our expectations from democracy,” he said.
The labour federation is holding its four-day eighth national congress at Gallagher Estate in Midrand. — Sapa