![\"BEE](\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/BEE-Senior-business-jobs.png\")
![\"BEE](\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/BEE-Municipal-jobs.png\")
![\"BEE](\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/BEE-jobs.png\")
<\/p>\nA new report shows that very few South Africans benefit from current empowerment polices\u00a0which,\u00a0as a result, do not draw much support.<\/p>\n
And despite active protest, the government is determined to \u2018intensify\u2019 its transformation policies including black economic empowerment (BEE), irrespective of what critics might say.<\/p>\n
In a speech last month, deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa said the government planned to \u2018intensify\u2019 BEE in the country.<\/p>\n
He said government was “hell-bent” on ensuring that black\u00a0South Africans\u00a0owned and managed the country’s economy, adding that\u00a0“those who don\u2019t like this idea \u2013 tough for you\u00a0– that is how we are proceeding”.<\/p>\n
A report published by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) collected the opinion of 2,245 people – 1,757 black people, making up 78.3% of the total, 203 coloured people (9%), 63 Indian people (2.8%), and 223 white people (9.9%).<\/p>\n
It found that most South Africans (85%) gain nothing from BEE related policies. In addition, most (87%) strongly endorse the merit principle, while a mere 6% think job appointments should be linked to demographic representivity.<\/p>\n
By contrast, 78% see better education and more jobs as the keys to reducing inequality.<\/p>\n
Ironically, a small proportion of whites say they have benefited from BEE policies: perhaps by helping to advise on BEE deals, or by sub-contracting to do the work a BEE contractor has been appointed to perform.<\/p>\n
Hence, 9.4% of whites – as contrasted with 14.2% of blacks – said they have benefited from BEE deals.<\/p>\n
In addition, 10% of whites say they have been awarded BEE tenders, which is very similar to the 11.5% of blacks who have benefited in this way, the report said.<\/p>\n
Respondents were asked if they agreed or disagreed with the statement that \u2018the best person should be given the job, regardless of race\u2019.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Overall, 87.1%\u00a0of respondents agreed that people should be appointed to jobs on merit, rather than race. Only 12.8% disagreed. Among black South Africans, 84.7% wanted appointments to be based on merit, rather than race.<\/p>\n
Has affirmative action in employment helped poor black South Africans?<\/strong> More than half (52.8%) of respondents agreed with this statement while only some 46.9% disagreed.<\/p>\n Among blacks, the proportion that agreed was higher still, at 53.6%. Some 50.1% of coloured people also agreed, as did 57.8% of Indians and 47.7% of whites.<\/p>\n The survey then dug a little deeper by asking people if affirmative action in employment was in fact helping their community. Only 33.8% of respondents agreed that affirmative action was helping, whereas 66% disagreed. Among blacks, 37.1% agreed and 62.9% disagree.<\/p>\n Has affirmative action in employment helped you personally?<\/strong> Whereas 52.8% thought affirmative action of this kind helped poor blacks in general, only 15.1% agreed that such affirmative action had helped them personally. By contrast, 84.8% disagreed.<\/p>\n Among black South Africans, 16.6% had personally benefited from affirmative action, whereas 83.3% had not.<\/p>\n What South Africans really think about racism and affirmative action<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n This one graph shows that South Africans are leaving the country<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n![\"BEE](\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/BEE-and-the-community.png\")
<\/p>\nMore on South Africa<\/h3>\n