Trade, industry & competition minister Parks Tau has admitted what has long been obvious: insofar as upskilling is concerned, BEE has achieved little. This is despite billions of rand spent by the private sector on BEE. Could the problem lie in the very nature of the policy?
BEE constitutes a system of quotas, either for employment at various levels, requirements for expenditure on skills development or set-asides for tenders and contracts. Inevitably, a sense of entitlement is established. Any compulsion by the government on the private sector equates to entitlement — some form of free ride — on the part of the beneficiaries. This is widely seen as morally fair, considering our past.
However, the question is whether this is wise if the intention is to develop potential into useful skills. I submit not. Entitlement is corrosive of human endeavour. While arguably fair, the promise of a free ride blunts effort and undermines the will to invest in oneself.
It is the very design of BEE that ensures its failure.
Willem Cronje
Cape Town
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