The Democratic Alliance (DA) has taken its fight to reform South Africa’s empowerment policy to Parliament and will introduce its Economic Inclusion for All Bill in the legislature tomorrow.

The announcement was made by the DA’s head of policy, Mat Cuthbert, who said that after 30 years, black economic empowerment (BEE) had failed to deliver broad-based inclusion. “BEE has enriched a politically connected few, while millions remain locked out of real economic opportunity,” Cuthbert said.

The new Bill shifts the focus from compliance checklists and ownership deals to measurable economic outcomes. Central to the proposals is the reform of public procurement, which the DA notes is one of the most powerful tools for driving inclusion, with the state’s procurement budget standing at R1.2 trillion.

Under the Bill, race-based procurement rules would be replaced with a simplified, outcomes-driven preference system. Companies would be rewarded for creating jobs, investing in infrastructure, developing skills, and supporting the growth of small businesses. Stricter consequences for fraud and corruption would also be introduced to ensure transparency and accountability in public spending, and to ensure that public funds are used in the interests of all South Africans.

Cuthbert said the Bill recognises a fundamental truth: there is no meaningful empowerment without economic growth. By linking inclusion to investment and job creation, the legislation seeks to expand opportunity across the economy rather than concentrate it among a select few.

The DA said that tomorrow’s introduction of the Bill into Parliament was a critical process to replace a failing system with one designed to work for all South Africans.

The announcement of the DA’s proposed new policy was first announced by Cuthbert last year. You can read what he said at the time in The Common Sense here.