Afrikaner Economic Empowerment (1890-1990) and lessons for Black Economic Empowerment

Abstract

‘The state wants laws reviewed to turn around Black Economic Empowerment (BEE)’ Pressly, D (2007, p1) Business Report. Is it Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) or Black Economic Self Enrichment or Black Economic Embezzlement or Black Economic Disempowerment? According to many experts BEE has failed dismally, been very slow in helping transfer wealth to all black South Africans and balance economic power in a country that has one of the highest income inequalities by race, and gender (Bhorat&Kanbur, 2006; Gqubule, 2006 and Radebe, 2007). Therefore the aim of this study is to gain an in-depth understanding of the Afrikaner Economic Empowerment (AEE) initiatives that led to the entire volk being economically, politically and socially empowered (Terreblanche, 2006 and Giliomee, 2003). Then draw lessons that will help enhance the effectiveness of BEE. In-depth literature review of AEE and BEE history to date was reviewed. Fourteen, semi structured interviews were conducted with well-known South African Afrikaner Economic Empowerment (AEE) and Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) experts (see Appendix D). The information received was analysed using a mixture of content, discourse, narrative and constant comparative analysis. The snowballing sampling technique helped produce experts who had minimum 15 years and over 40 years experience, collectively with experience exceeding 250 years. The key findings from the study revealed that the variables that shaped AEE were similar to the current BBBEE Generic Scorecard (Appendix C: Table 5). However the major learning’s for BEE as identified by the experts: AEE scorecard (see Table 3) included a savings culture and social (cultural, identity, language, and self-sacrifice) re-engineering. However when evaluating AEE, one needs to take history into account, AEE happened at a time when economies were closed vs. globalisation, sanctions forced Afrikaners to be self sufficient. In order to empower all Afrikaners which constituted less than ten per cent of the population Blacks had to be excluded, economically disempowered using various apartheid laws. Most of experts concluded that BEE context has been heavily influenced by globalisation, democracy, free market. We hope the findings from this study will have a positive impact on BEE.