No other political party has the capacity to transform the economy, only the ANC has the vision and wherewithal to achieve this feat, Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Parks Tau told Sunday World.
On the sidelines of the Black Business Annual Summit that took place last week, Tau said only the ANC can identify “measurable and material progress” to move the country forward, 30 years after the 1994 miracle in which former president Nelson Mandela ushered the country into a new democratic dispensation.
He said the ANC has experience to run government, and that is why the people will return it to power to form the seventh administration.
“Thirty years into our constitutional democracy, we can legitimately identify measurable and material progress made to address the inherited apartheid backlogs.
“We can build an inclusive society. The pursuit of political freedom is directly linked to the pursuit of economic empowerment especially for the black majority,” Tau said.
He said the ANC-led government took bold steps, using “programmatic and legislative instruments” to implement broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) as a cornerstone of economic policy.
“The B-BBEE is a cornerstone of our economic policy. The ANC reaffirms its unwavering dedication to building a South Africa where opportunity is accessible to all, especially for young people, women and people in townships and rural areas,” Tau said. “As the ANC, we remain the only organisation committed to fully transform our society.
“There is a good story to tell about South Africa’s 30 years of democracy in action. This is confirmed by the independent institutions, which include the StatsSA.
“StatsSA says data reveals that presently 82.4% of households in the country have access to piped water, and nearly 95% are able to access electricity,” he said.
“StatsSA data show that in 2022, 82.4% of households had access to piped water. The proportion of households using electricity increased from 58.1% in 1996 to 94.7% in 2022,” he said, adding that the size of the economy has tripled since 1996, with tax revenue moving from R143-billion in 1996 to more than R2.1-trillion last year.
The number of employed South Africans increased from eight million in 1994 to more than 16.7 million today.
Regarding progress made at the B-BBEE Commission, he said since 2017, the commission has registered more than 500 B-BBEE ownership deals worth over R600-billion in transaction value, adding that since then black ownership in the economy averages 30%, with black women ownership averaging 14%.
“All this progress happens under the ANC-led government, and nobody can seek to underplay this progress achieved under the leadership of the ANC, even as we accept we can do more,” Tau said.
Turning to employment stats, Tau said in 1994 black people, representing 73% of the population of the country, held about 40% of skilled jobs, but 30 years later, black South Africans, representing about 80% of the population, held between 55%-60% of skilled jobs.
In terms of ownership, said Tau, in 1994 black South Africans owned less than 20% of businesses, today the number is more than 30%.
Turning to the role played by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, as it relates to black industrialists, Tau said the scheme was launched in 2016 with the initial target of 100 firms, but to date, the department has supported over 1 700 black industrialist firms, out of R40-billion support spend with the annual GDP contribution of R183-billion.
Tau said township economic revitalisation was key to black economic empowerment.
“Gauteng is being made feasible through the Township Economic Development Act being implemented and monitored for its impact in the Gauteng City Region since 2022.
He said: “South Africa exists as a member of the global community of nations. It is for this reason that we pushed hard for The Africa Continental Free Trade Area and the Brics trading bloc, which presents South Africa with a chance to leverage opportunities beyond its borders.
“The state will always intervene through regulatory instruments to arrest and dismantle, where possible, concentrated forms of ownership since it stifles the participation of SMMEs.
“The ANC government is committed’” Tau said, “to expanding black industrialist programme to support 2 000 companies, and to align fiscal and monetary policy with national goals and to develop an ecosystem of state banks in national, provincial and economic sectors, including a human settlements bank and to urge financial institution to invest a portion of their funds in programmes of industrialisation and infrastructure development.”
