A clear public consensus is emerging which puts value for money ahead of racial set-asides in state contracts.

This is according to polling conducted by the Social Research Foundation in April 2024. It found that some 63% of respondents said they strongly supported issuing all government tenders only on merit, with no racial requirements.

Support for merit transcends party lines and speaks to a national appetite for competent delivery. Among African National Congress voters 52% strongly backed merit, along with 82% of Democratic Alliance (DA) voters. Perhaps surprisingly the proportion of Economic Freedom Fighters supporters who backed merit in tenders with no racial requirements was 87%

When core constituencies converge on a reform, policymakers ignore them at their peril.

South Africa can shift to clean, competitive procurement that rewards price, quality, and delivery. Do that, and taxpayers get better services while honest firms regain the incentive to invest and hire.

These figures also seem to indicate that a new DA bill – which seeks to jettison racial procurement rules when it comes to state contracts – could have widespread support in the country.