PREFACE
In 2019 South Africa made headlines for the wrong reasons as the most unequal society in the world.
If we want a brighter future we need to focus on better education for the broader demographics in South Africa. We cannot have children falling down pit latrines and dying in schools. We cannot have children learning under trees. This is not even about 4IR. Even if the government forgets about the Zondo commission and put all that money into education because it will give hope that if the economy doesn’t grownow then at some point in the future it will grow, because the only thing that will help break the cycle of poverty for black people in South Africa is education. The Commission of Employment Equity report released by the Department of Labour shows that there is a regression in respect of transformation. It shows that white people are still the ones getting most opportunities and they are still the ones getting good jobs both in government and the private sector. White people are still the ones occupying senior and top management positions whilst black women remain at the same low level of income and education. This shows that we are going backwards. We fought long and hard just to start seeing the wheel turning back instead of moving forward. President Cyril Ramaphosa made an announcement last year on the 09th of August that 40 percent of all procurement from the government departments would be going to black-owned businesses, but there is no such a translation going on in real terms. I sit on the BMF women’s desk, I sit on Brics women’s alliance. I have not met the black women-owned business that has gotten that percent.
Tasneem Fredericks
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ransformation, in a sense influences inequality and the government can’t eradicate poverty on their own. They are trying but it’s impossible.
It’s important for black people to understand the importance of unity and solidarity. Transformation is not an imperative to white people. They don’t have poor families to look after, in fact, white people generally inherit wealth and black people generally inherit poverty. Growing a strong black middle-class would be a vehicle to eradicate poverty because black professionals have bonds of obligation towards their poor families. We ensure, through work, that our siblings are put through decent schools and universities, and we also take care of our poor parents, and that’s how you start eradicating poverty.
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www.transformsa.co.za
We, black women, need special intervention and that’s not to say that we are victims. We need intervention to ensure the success and promotion of black women in this country. Countries like Norway and Belgium have introduced laws that say if you want to register a company you need 50 percent of directors that are women on the board. We need to fast-track the advancement of women. If women are poor, they are going to give birth to poor kids, poor not only in the sense of just money but the poverty of thinking, poverty of independence, poverty of knowledge, poverty of confidence, and poverty in so many levels because women are the primary caregivers. One of the failures of BEE is that when we get into the BEE boardrooms and when we get into those spaces that legislation has allowed us into we forget our mandate. BEE is supposed to benefit black people broadly and currently it is not. Due to Covid-19, we need to be accelerating BEE rather than putting it on hold. We don’t have the economic cushion that our white counterparts have. We did not just get land for free. We don’t inherit wealth we inherit poverty and debts from our parents.
