Some GNU partners don’t like BEE because they prefer white supremacy – Gwede Mantashe

African National Congress (ANC) National Chairperson and Minister Gwede Mantashe said that “white parties” in the Government of National Unity (GNU) do not support Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) because they “prefer white supremacy.”

In a wide-ranging interview with the SABC, Mantashe specifically targeted the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), arguing that their calls to scrap BEE are rooted in “white supremacy.”

The conversation comes amid mounting pressure from some political parties, business leaders, lobby groups, and the public for the country to ditch or significantly reform the policy.

The growing criticism stems primarily from the perception that the policy, while well-intentioned, has largely failed to achieve its core objectives of broad-based transformation and has instead been tainted by corruption and poor implementation. 

However, according to Mantashe, the debate over whether BEE should be dismantled is not a simple policy disagreement but a reflection of the “emboldenment of white supremacy” 30 years after the end of apartheid.

He claims that the parties leading this charge are the same entities historically responsible for depriving black people of economic participation.

In Mantashe’s view, the push to end BEE stems from an ideological conviction that “whites are superior” and “blacks are inferior,” maintaining a narrative that “whites are the savers” of the nation.

Mantashe frames their defence of BEE in the historical exclusion of black South Africans from the economy.

The ANC national chair said that the party maintains this position within the 10-party GNU, which he describes as a “coalition of contending forces,” born out the ANC’s failure to obtain a majority in the 2024 elections.

He says he does not expect the FF Plus or DA to become “fans” of the ANC or its “transformation agenda”, and anticipates their continued opposition to BEE because they “prefer white supremacy”.

Yet, he said that the ANC must still “engage that white supremacy within the government of national unity.”

Mantashe also rejects what he calls “loose talk” that BEE benefits only the politically connected.

Democratic Alliance response

The DA, which is the country’s second-largest party and partner in the GNU, have long called for BEE to be replaced with means-based redistribution policies.

In response to the statements made by Mantashe, DA national spokesperson Jan de Villiers told Newsday that the party “is in the GNU to rescue South Africa, keep out a terrible doomsday coalition that parties like the EFF and MK would bring about, and to implement DA policy wherever we can.”

“Differing policy agendas are the strength of a coalition, not its weakness,” he added.

The party has proposed a new Economic Inclusion for All Bill, which sees amendments to the Public Procurement Amendment Act of 2024.

According to the party, this is to repeal all race-based preferential procurement provisions and replace them with a real empowerment model that uses poverty, not race, as the proxy for disadvantage.

A key feature of the Bill is its merit-based evaluation system where “businesses will be recognised for operational excellence, value for money, and actual social impact.”

The party cited research from Wits University’s Professor William Gumede, whose research found that over R1 trillion has been transferred to fewer than 100 politically connected individuals under the banner of BEE

“BEE only benefits a very small group of politically connected, linked to the ANC, linked to the trade unions, and the same people are empowered again and again” he said.

“This is not transformation, this is state-sanctioned looting under the guise of empowerment.”

When announcing the bill, Mat Cuthbert, DA head of policy, argued that since the introduction of BEE in 2003, conditions for black South Africans have worsened.

He cited rising black unemployment and poverty levels compared with improvements among white South Africans.

Freedom Front Plus

While the FF Plus did not respond to any queries from Newsday relating to Mantashe’s comments, the party has long been opposed to BEE.

According to its 2024 election manifesto, the FF Plus opposes BEE because it discriminates based on race, undermines merit, and contributes to mismanagement and poor service delivery.

The party argues that wealth redistribution and racial quotas create a new form of Apartheid, hurt economic growth, and breed bitterness among all groups.

Instead, the FF Plus advocates equal access to opportunities for all South Africans, prioritising socio-economic circumstances—like poverty, unemployment, and education—over race.

Competence, fair appointments, and economic growth should guide policy to create jobs, improve services, and foster a more inclusive society.