South Africa's Black Empowerment Laws and the Long Shadow of Apartheid
The government has introduced a series of policies to try to narrow the wealth gap. While these Black-economic-empowerment measures have helped diversify corporate ownership and grow a Black middle class, critics say a small, politically connected elite have been the primary beneficiaries.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News24
8 hours ago
- News24
EFF councillor Banzi Dambuza details being strangled by law enforcement
Facebook A contentious incident unfolded during a councillor's meeting on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at the Cape Town City Council chambers, involving EFF party council leader, Banzi Dambuza, and law enforcement officers, as seen in the widely circulating video online, where EFF council leader Banzi Dambuza is seen allegedly being choked by another man. The meeting, which included representatives from the DA, Good Party and many others, took a dramatic turn when EFF whip Ntsikelelo Tyandela was cut off by Speaker Felicity Purchase while posing a question to the City's mayor regarding the violent riots in Happy Valley, Blue Downs, related to service delivery. Read more | WATCH | EFF councillor 'choked' during ejection from Cape Town City Council chambers When Ntsikelelo was denied the opportunity to express himself fully, Banzi intervened, prompting the Speaker to call out his name multiple times, leading to her calling the 'Peace officers' to escort the EFF councillors out of the chambers. Speaking to Drum, Dambuza recalled the moments before the incident unfolded. 'I am the party leader, and Mr Tyandelo is the whip, so when the speaker was done speaking, she opened the floor to questions, and the five parties in attendance had to ask questions. My whip, Ntsikelelo, asked questions, and while he was doing so, there was a scuffle happening in the background from the DA councillors, and I asked why people are making a noise when the EFF is taking the floor,' he says. 'The speaker got upset and said she's kicking me out, and after that she said I must leave the council chambers, which I refused because she was not utilising the rules correctly as she was protecting DA councillors, and she called the peace officers who, in this case, were not peaceful at all,' he exclaimed. Read more | EFF celebrates 12th birthday in Cape Town with more than 10k supporters He added that while he was being escorted out, the EFF members built a protective layer around him, and that's when the violence from the officers started. 'They then started pushing, shouting, beating, and assaulting women and I was underneath a table grabbing onto the arms of it, and they came under to drag me out, but upon realising that I'm holding on, then this one officer who's a SWAT trainer strangled me and when I started grabbing his arm with my right arm to stop him his colleague reached out for my hand, and I passed out for a minute, and they were also beating me, I eventually gained consciousness but he choked me even more,' he said. 'The executive director, Vincent Botto, eventually stopped the situation after watching the situation unfold in front of him, doing nothing.' 'It has always been said that councillor Dambuza is problematic and there's an element of that was done to ensure that I don't challenge the Speaker again, I'm saying this because one of the DA councillors after the whole incident came to me directly and said; 'I hope you've learned your lesson and you'll never challenge the speaker again,' he mentioned. A case of attempted murder has been opened by the EFF party to the South African Police Services (SAPS), but Dambuza says he's not confident in them bringing him the justice he deserves. 'We've opened an attempted murder case with SAPS at the Cape Town police station, but we believe that there's an element of politics playing a role here as the detective handling the case told us they can't detain him unless they interview him, whereas we've been arrested before without being asked any questions and we'd be told we'll present our arguments in court in front of a judge, so why can't the same happen to him? And we've also been told that this is not attempted murder but just an assault, hence we say there's an element of politics involved,' he says. 'It's the DA making sure it protects the person they had sent to do their job,' he claimed. Dambuza also concluded by saying he has been to a doctor to tend to the injuries he suffered during the incident. 'My body is in total pain, and I'm struggling to move my neck around. I am at the doctors' as we speak.' A video of the incident, which includes disturbing footage of Banzi Dambuza being physically restrained and allegedly strangled by the law enforcement officer, can be viewed below. Trigger Warning: The footage may be distressing to some viewers, and we advise readers to proceed with caution. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ntsikelelo Tyandela (@ntsido) Drum reached out to the Cape Town police station where the case was opened for a comment, and the media liaison officer, Captain F.C. Van Wyk, confirmed that indeed a case of assault has been opened. 'This office can confirm that an assault common case was registered at Cape Town Central SAPS for investigation following an altercation between security personnel and the victim, yesterday, Wednesday, 30 July 2025. Investigations continue, no arrest has been made,' he told Drum. Furthermore, Drum reached out to Speaker Felicity Purchase for a comment, but no response has been received at the time of publication.
News24
15 hours ago
- News24
Orlando Pirates' past, present and future collide in MTN8: ‘We have to defend what's ours'
Alche Greeff/Gallo Images Be among those who shape the future with knowledge. Uncover exclusive stories that captivate your mind and heart with our FREE 14-day subscription trial. Dive into a world of inspiration, learning, and empowerment. You can only trial once. Start your FREE trial now Show Comments ()
CNN
17 hours ago
- CNN
Trump's tariffs are sending African countries into China's hands
Africa is adjusting to the new reality of US President Donald Trump's tariffs, with countries on the continent facing some of the highest export charges. But what could become a crisis is an opportunity for United States rival China, which has long courted African countries and is now offering them a lifeline. 'We (Africa) are going straight into the hands of China,' Nigerian economist Bismarck Rewane told CNN. 'That is the unfortunate outcome,' Rewane said of Africa's expected further shift toward China, which has emerged in recent years as the continent's largest bilateral trading partner. Four African nations - Libya, South Africa, Algeria and Tunisia - face some of the steepest tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, with charges on exports ranging from 25% to 30%. Eighteen other countries from the continent were hit with 15% levies, a modified tariff package released Thursday by the White House showed. In April, when the US import levies were first announced, Trump pitched them as 'reciprocal' and targeting countries that he said had trade deficits with the US. But Trump instead based his tariffs on countries' trade deficits with the United States – not the tariffs they charge. South Africa, one of the continent's powerhouses, challenged the imposition of a 30% tariff on its US-bound exports, saying Trump's decision was not based on 'an accurate representation of available trade data.' China has offered to soften the impact of US tariffs on Africa, saying in June it would halt charges on imports for nearly all its African partners. 'There is no other opportunity for African countries to strengthen South-South trade (among developing nations) than now,' South African researcher Neo Letswalo told CNN, while urging countries to 'solely turn to China and make it the next US.' 'America is gradually forfeiting its global leadership status,' Letswalo said, adding that the more countries 'become less dependent on the US, the greater opportunity for China to become an alternative.' Before the tariff deadline, the US did not make a trade deal with any African nation despite efforts from the continent to avoid the tariffs, underscoring Africa's place on the White House's priority list. Letswalo described America's failure to negotiate a deal with Africa as 'an open goal for China.' The impact of Trump's tariffs is already being felt in some of Africa's most buoyant economies and some of the continent's poorest, such as Lesotho, which was slapped with a 15% tariff. It had previously been hit with a 50% tariff – one of the steepest rates – before the charges were modified. Lesotho's Prime Minister Samuel Matekane said in June that the huge tariff, combined with the halt of US aid to the nation of just over 2 million people, 'have crippled industries that previously sustained thousands of jobs.' Trump has described Lesotho, a landlocked nation surrounded by South Africa, as a country 'nobody has ever heard of' – even though trade between the US and Lesotho totaled over $240 million last year, mostly in textiles. Before the tariffs, Lesotho benefited from a US trade agreement that allowed it and other eligible sub-Saharan countries to export goods to the US duty-free. Authorities in Lesotho have declared a two-year national state of disaster over the tariffs, as the country braces for their impact, with the textile industry already grappling with massive job losses. Thousands of roles are also threatened in Lesotho's richer neighbor, South Africa, where citrus growers said they were gripped with 'great anxiety' ahead of the August 1 tariff deadline. In a statement this week, the country's Citrus Growers' Association (CGA) warned that 'job losses will be a certainty' if the tariffs came into effect. It added that, 'hundreds of thousands of cartons of citrus are ready in packhouses to be shipped to the US over the next few weeks,' and that implementing the charges 'will mean most of this fruit will be left unsold.' Other industries in South Africa, such as the automobile sector, also face the risk of economic shocks, analysts said. 'Already, we have companies within the automobile sector threatening to leave (the country) as a result of plummeting business,' Letswalo said. 'The tariffs will add to the burden of pre-existing issues, and if these entities decide to exit South Africa, our already existing unemployment calamities will worsen,' he said. Gwede Mantashe, South Africa's minister of mineral and petroleum resources, told reporters Tuesday that other routes are being sought for South African goods. 'If the US imposes high tariffs, we must look for alternative markets,' he said. 'Our biggest trading partner is China, not the US. The US is number two,' Mantashe added. As South Africa scouts for broader opportunities, however, the citrus growers' group has voiced its reservations, specifically that their products suit designated markets so finding another is not straightforward. Its CEO, Boitshoko Ntshabele, told CNN in a statement that 'the US market remains a priority, and so should improving access to China' and elsewhere. 'There is a deep appreciation of South African citrus by US consumers. Since 2017, our exports to that market have almost doubled. The market has immense potential,' Ntshabele added. Letswalo believes there are accompanying risks behind the enticing option of relying on Beijing to cushion the impact of Trump's tariffs. Alternating US with China 'could be risky,' he said, 'especially for some nascent industries within the (African) countries.' 'If they're not protected, Chinese products will flood and outcompete them as many African countries are price sensitive markets,' he warned. China has imposed some imbalanced trade deals of its own in Africa with trade deficits skewed in its favor, according to the China-Global South Project (CGSP), an organization monitoring China's engagement with developing countries. Additionally, the bulk of Beijing's exports to Africa comprise mainly manufactured products, while the continent's exports to China are commonly raw materials. South Africa's Ramaphosa advocated for balanced trade with China when he met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing last year. Letswalo advised that, while Africa leans on China for trade, it must also seek domestic alternatives. He recommended a swift implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), an agreement signed by nations on the continent to boost trade among themselves. Although established in 2020, implementing AfCFTA has been slow, with just over 20 countries of the continent's 55 trading under the deal. Rewane believes that the US tariffs could inspire Africa 'to build economic resilience and be less dependent on lopsided trade.' Above all, he added, the continent must be 'more inward-looking rather than outward-dependent.'
