SowetanLive reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s plan to establish a new broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) advisory council has appeased organised black business, much to the annoyance of labour.

Ramaphosa noted in his weekly newsletter on Monday that the purpose of the council was to champion the cause of economic transformation, where there had been significant progress over the past two decades, but regression in some areas. Black Business Council CEO Kganki Matabane said the body had engaged Ramaphosa and trade and industry minister Ebrahim Patel to appoint a council to demonstrate that the country took economic transformation seriously. He indicated: “There’s still short-trading. It’s still two-and-a-half years without council, which means their work of advancing black empowerment is not done.” But organised labour has slammed Ramaphosa’s plan, with Cosatu’s spokesperson Sizwe Pamla describing the move as “a complete waste of time”. He said: “This country does not need another advisory council. This is literally nothing but a distraction because nothing is moving in this country. An advisory council is meaningless in the face of an imploding country.” Pamla said BEE has failed to achieve economic transformation because corrupt government leaders used it to benefit their relatives and friends. He said the government should instead use the cabinet and the courts to push for implementation of policies. Saftu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said advisory councils were used as a smokescreen to divert attention from problems in the country. He stated that BEE was never going to help SA achieve economic transformation: “It made very few people rich while the rest of South Africa languish in poverty.”

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nomazima Nkosi & Zoe Mahopo at SowetanLive

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