Foreword: Tasneem Fredericks

In 2019 South Africa made headlines for the wrong reasons as the most unequal society in the world.

Tasneem Fredericks

Transformation, 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. 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.

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.

AFRICAN GENIUS AWARDS 2021

Tuesday 25 May 2021l 18:00 l University of Pretoria, Future Africa Campus, Hillcrest Pretoria AGA Congratulates our 2021 Geniuses

On Africa Day the 25th of May 2021 The African Genius Awards were held at the Future Africa campus at the University of Pretoria. This was a culmination of a process of nominating and conferring genius status on deserving recipients.

Nominations for 2022 open on the 1st of August 2021, visit our website to submit your nomination. www.priorityperformance.co.za

BANTU STEPHEN BIKO – SOUTH AFRICA (AGA GENIUS)

Steve Biko was one of South Africa's most significant political activists and a leading founder of south Africa's black consciousness movement. He tried to help Africans by focusing on their identity and making them more conscious of themselves.

ALBERT CHINUALUMOGU ACHEBE – NIGERIA (AGA GENIUS)

Chinua Achebe was a Nigerian novelist and author of 'things fall apart,' a work that in part led to his being called the 'patriarch of the African novel.' he was a realist writer who tried to look at his culture and people from inside and depict the same in a realistic manner.

ALIKO DANGOTE – NIGERIA (AGA GENIUS)

Aliko Dangote is a visionary and a brilliant businessman, known by most as the richest man in Africa. The Dangote group has risen to become the largest conglomerate in west Africa. He is a man who strongly believes in the potential of Africans and who calls on them to believe in Africa.