The publication of quotas for agricultural exports to the EU could have been written as an exemplar of the adage that the more things change, the more they stay the same (“BEE status becomes main factor in EU export permits”, February 3).
“For the first time,” your article reads, “transformation credentials carry equal weight to traditional performance metrics in the government’s preferential market access permit allocation system.”
Despite South Africa’s need for economic growth and the dampening effect “empowerment” policy has had on it, a stubborn commitment to demographic bean-counting persists. The commitment from government leaders over decades that this policy is not only non-negotiable but must constantly be enhanced is affirmed in such measures.
Prescient observers will note that this falls under the ministerial responsibility of the leader of the DA — some will argue that this emphasises the inability of reform-minded parties to promote substantive policy change. (Remember, incidentally, that the department of correctional services, now under the aegis of an FF+ minister, similarly makes empowerment demands in tendering.)
Ministers have limited latitude to set such policy. But it is also their duty as political leaders to provide leadership, and never more so than when they occupy government office.
South Africa is seeing unprecedented debate around “empowerment” policy, and rightly so. Leaders like Steenhuisen and Groenewald should not be acquiescing silently to rules they know to be harming the economy and running counter to their own parties’ policies.
They should be voicing their opposition and making every effort to have such racially discriminatory policies scrapped. They owe it to their supporters and all the people of South Africa, who desperately need a fast-growing economy.
Terence Corrigan
Institute of Race Relations
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