BEE And Govt Neglect Poor
I HAVE seriously asked my self several times how the BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) policy benefits the people who are really needy in this country.
It is by now public knowledge that BEE simply works to encourage capitalist groups in our country while the majority of our people continue to suffer because of this small elite groups formed to benefit at the expense of the poor and middle class.
Since our political independence in 1990, we have started a different struggle which is economic emancipation for all. The SME sector, which is being advocated so much by the champions of industry leaves much to be desired. How many jobs are really being created by the SME sector per year in Namibia? I am not condemning SMEs but I believe that the SMEs contribute very little in winning the fight of economic Empowerment for the previously disadvantaged groups in Namibia.
The way in which government tenders are being given is a serious insult to the majority poor people of this country. It is only those that already have that win government tenders. The few elite groups continue to control the government tenders because they have the money and equipment to get these tenders. We must find different ways of how the ordinary citizen of this country can be given the opportunity to win tenders and be able to get the benefits of these tenders.
Let’s take for example the government auctions: you find that the people again who benefit from these auctions are only those few who have the money to push prices up and the ordinary men cannot afford most of the items up for grab in these auctions. You will find that an auction is in Ondangwa and you will see people from as far as Windhoek coming to participate in that auction. The local people of Ondangwa do not really benefit from an auction that is in their own area. The very same people will go for an auction scheduled for Opuwo and again get the best products from the auction because they have the money.
Government must change the system of auction to benefit the locals in the given areas and in this way economic emancipation could reach the majority poor .This issue of a few black elites together with the whites who already had the means of production controlling the economy should be seriously looked at before its to late. Government projects should be aimed at creating jobs and also making sure that those who have do not manipulate the majority poor for their gain.
We must find strategies of how we can harmonise the current BEE policy and Government Tender systems to avoid the abuse of state resources for only a few elites and leave the majority to suffer while we can help them to become role players in the economy of this country.
I still believe that the current systems of BEE and the government auction policy has not really benefited the majority poor but the few elites only.
Urikee Tjazapi
Via the website