South Africa Divided After Mashatile’s Bold Defence of the BBBEE Policy

• Deputy President Paul Mashatile has defended the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) policy
• Mashatile stated that doing away with the BBBEE policy would be like going back to apartheid, as the policy had great success
• South Africans had mixed reactions to his statement, with some defending what the deputy president said and others slamming his statement

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has made a bold statement about the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) policy. The deputy president said that scrapping the policy would be like going back to apartheid.

What did Paul Mashatile say?

Responding to questions in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday, 11 September 2025, Mashatile defended the policy, saying that it had great success. He said that most of South Africa's economy is in the hands of the minority. The deputy president stated that the policy should be implemented more rigorously.

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Mashatile was asked if the BEE policy was responsible for South Africa's unemployment and slow economy. Members also wanted to know if the BBEE policy might be a barrier to investment. Mashatile stated that the BBEE is a transformation policy and not a race policy. He said that a lot of individuals and companies have benefited from the policy.

Scrapping BBEE policy not an option

The deputy president said that scrapping the policy is not an option. Mashatile said it is wrong that 70 percent of the economy is controlled by the minority, but 90 percent of the population is black.

He said that it will never be accepted and that the government needs to implement policies that will change this. Mashatile said that the youth of South Africa should be the creators of employment and that the government must assist them through various initiatives.

What did South Africans say?

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Social media users shared their opinions regarding what the deputy president said.

@PrayerTmos said:

"Scrapping BBBEE should not even be a discussion at all. The discussion should be, how do we change the implementation sothat the people actually benefit and not only cadres. Some people have wrong misconceptions that since BEE isn't working, it is wrong. No, it's implementation."

@Siya_ZAR said:

"Definitely agree, even the idea of scrapping BBBEE should be considered as a treasonous act."

@DelaKufaPatriot said:

"BEE benefits Anc Cronies, Zimbabweans Nigerians Malawians Congolese Mozambicans who are now classified as Previously disadvantaged."

@Squirrel1980021 said:

"BEE has to go and be replaced with something that will force transformation and empowerment of ordinary citizens not the useless elite entitlement and protection of WMC."

@UBGK12 said:

"We get it blacks, you hate fair and square meritocracy. It’s okay, admit it."

@electronicline said:

"it is apartheid, just in reverse, its discriminatory and even worse, its minority descrimination by colour."

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Mashatile rejects jobs-for-pals claims

Briefly News previously reported that Paul Mashatile has shot down claims that the African National Congress (ANC) has a job-for-pals approach.

The Deputy President of South Africa insisted that the ANC deployed people to positions based on merit. South Africans shared their thoughts on Mashatile's comments, asking if he was being serious.

Source: Briefly News