Black economic empowerment, affirmative action disadvantages white youth: FF Plus

Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald says the party is against black economic empowerment and affirmative action.

Groenewald says the policy disadvantages young white people who were not part of the apartheid era. Groenewald was speaking to the SABC in an exclusive interview on the party’s manifesto unveiled last weekend ahead of the November first local government elections.

He says white South Africans cannot be disadvantaged because of the past.

“No affirmative action, no black economic empowerment and the reason is simple. If you look in South Africa, the people in South Africa, the majority of the people are black people. If you go to our universities, there are three times more black students than white students in South Africa and I say it will be unfair to be creating a new dispensation where young white children, just because they’re white, they’ve never been part of apartheid, that they are disadvantaged because of the past.”

Groenewald says the concept of affirmative action and black economic empowerment are tools used by the ANC for cadre deployment and self-enrichment.

“The big problem is with affirmative action, it is most used by the ANC government for cadre deployment. It’s a smokescreen to put their people there to get a situation where they are enhancing corruption.”

FF+ launches its 2021 Municipal Elections manifesto:

The FF+ says it will also put an end to affirmative action in municipalities and do an audit to ensure that all employees are qualified for their jobs.

Party MP Wouter Wessels says they want to appoint on merit.

“Our main focus areas are the appointment of officials on merit, to get service delivery going, sound financial management and economic growth and lastly keeping Local Government local, because currently, we are not devolving power to the people. Communities should have decision-making power about what affects them and that is the main focus areas of our manifesto.”