By Johnathan Paoli
The African National Congress (ANC) has rebuked the Democratic Alliance (DA) for its persistent opposition to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE), insisting the policy remains central to South Africa’s economic transformation agenda and will not be revised or abandoned to satisfy coalition partners in the Government of National Unity (GNU).
Addressing journalists during an ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) briefing in Germiston on Saturday, member Zuko Godlimpi delivered a forceful defence of B-BBEE and an equally sharp critique of the DA’s stance.
He described the DA’s arguments against empowerment as being rooted in false information and a fundamental misunderstanding of what B-BBEE is intended to achieve.
“I am totally convinced the Democratic Alliance does not know what B-BBEE is. Their entire objection is based on incorrect assumptions and misinformation. There is no data supporting the claims they make. We remain committed to Black Economic Empowerment as an unavoidable part of how to make South Africa work for all of us. It’s not going anywhere,” Godlimpi said.
The DA maintains that B-BBEE has harmed economic growth, entrenched elite enrichment, and should be replaced with a race-neutral, merit-based framework.
However, Godlimpi said such claims simply borrow from flawed academic arguments, referencing comments made by Witwatersrand academic William Gumede on the failure of B-BBEE, and ignore the historical injustices that the policy aims to reverse.
He stressed that the ANC would not allow DA objections to dictate the direction of the GNU or national policy.
“The NEC will not sit and discuss DA views. That will not happen. This is a red herring. We have not met the DA about their so-called alternative bill, and we have no intention of doing so,” he said.
Godlimpi also accused the DA of opportunistically trying to attach itself to structural reforms driven by the ANC, particularly those highlighted in the party’s recent 10-point plan.
He argued that the DA’s public attempt to claim credit for positive developments, such as progress in energy reforms, was dishonest.
“The DA will claim, for instance, that the turnaround at Eskom is their doing. It’s flatly a lie. The structural reforms have nothing to do with the Democratic Alliance. They started around 2020 with entities like the National Energy Crisis Committee and other ANC-led interventions. The DA was simply trying to ride on the positive momentum coming out of the NEC meeting,” he said.
While Godlimpi focused on the politics of policy, his NEC colleague David Masondo addressed the broader economic landscape.
Masondo welcomed South Africa’s recent credit rating upgrade, saying it demonstrated renewed confidence in the country’s fiscal direction.
“South Africa is on the right course. The credit rating upgrade is a positive signal, especially given the global economic environment,” Masondo said.
He added that the NEC had spent much of its meeting assessing the economy’s performance, including job creation trends, rising electricity costs, progress at Transnet, and the state’s capacity to deliver infrastructure projects.
Masondo said the ANC remained concerned about unemployment despite modest improvements, and emphasised the need for a comprehensive jobs plan to be finalised ahead of the party’s National General Council.
Masondo highlighted encouraging developments: an energy availability factor now above 70%, stronger-than-expected agricultural exports, and the positive impact of high gold prices on the trade surplus.
He said the ANC was satisfied that the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement continued to protect social spending at around 61% of the national budget.
But despite that positive macroeconomic momentum, Godlimpi insisted that structural inclusion, anchored by B-BBEE, remains non-negotiable.
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