Democratic Alliance (DA) deputy chief whip Baxolile Nodada has rejected Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s claim that abandoning Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) would revive apartheid, arguing that the policy has entrenched privilege rather than spreading opportunity.

In a statement, Nodada said three decades of race-based measures have “enriched a small ANC-connected elite while leaving most South Africans behind”.

The DA contends that the current framework deters investment, limits job creation, and worsens hunger.

Instead of scrapping transformation outright, the party proposes refocusing empowerment on poverty reduction, education, and sustainable development goals, regardless of race.

Key to the opposition’s plan is a Public Procurement Amendment Bill that would replace what it calls “patronage networks” with an outcome-based system rewarding bidders that demonstrate progress on poverty alleviation, job creation, and health improvements.

The DA also plans to overhaul the 2003 BEE Act and unveil a new scorecard weighting social impact and value for money on a twenty-eighty split. This approach, it claims, would allow small, unconnected entrepreneurs to compete for state contracts and “end the reign of terror of the current BEE scorecard”.

Nodada insisted that real empowerment must target need rather than race, warning that defending the status quo “spits in the face” of millions trapped in poverty. The party says it will table its reforms in Parliament soon, framing them as essential for inclusive growth and the creation of genuine opportunity.