The Democratic Alliance (DA) has announced plans to lobby political parties inside and outside the Government of National Unity (GNU) for support of its Public Procurement Amendment Bill — legislation aimed at repealing Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) requirements in state contracting.
On Tuesday, the party escalated its campaign by unveiling a billboard along Johannesburg’s N1 highway, claiming B-BBEE has “enriched ANC elites and left the country poor”.
Despite its coalition arrangement with the ANC, the DA sharpened its critique of the governing party’s transformation policy, arguing that B-BBEE has failed to broaden economic participation and has instead benefited politically connected business figures.
DA policy head Mathew Cuthbert said early signs suggest there may be room for discussion within the GNU.
“We have not formally approached the ANC, but we will be writing to all parties in the GNU as well as in Parliament to get support for our Economic Inclusion for All Bill,” Cuthbert said.
“It’s important for us to reform empowerment policy so that it no longer caters to an elite group of politically connected individuals but delivers true economic inclusion.”
The DA’s Bill proposes a shift to what the party calls “economic inclusion” — where state procurement favours small businesses, job creation and local investment rather than using race-based scoring systems.
The ANC has publicly stated that while it remains open to policy engagements within the GNU, it will not support the removal of B-BBEE, which it views as central to redressing apartheid-era inequality.
The DA said its campaign would continue in Parliament ahead of the Bill’s formal introduction.