support] Afrikaner concerns”.
This is how the Afrikaner Economic Empowerment scheme
called Reddingsdaadbond was formed.
According to the Broederbond, the Reddingsdaadbond
“presented the idea of an Afrikanerdom which would not only
be employee, but also employer … [and] proud owner of material
power”. This, the Afrikaners managed to achieve.
Even before the 1939 Economic National Congress, projects
were already under way to end poverty and unemployment
amongst the Afrikaners.
The establishment of Eskom by Jan Smuts’ government and
the founding of Iscor were all part of AEE, even as there were
disagreements over Smuts’ commitment to Afrikanerdom.
Like the English, the Afrikaners implemented their AEE
scheme, supported by the state. The rise of the National Party
into power in 1948 injected much-needed political energy into
Afrikaner Economic Empowerment.
Here we are, confronted by the same question yet again:
Has AEE succeeded? The answer is yes. By the time apartheid
collapsed, poverty amongst Afrikaners was almost totally
banished.
All this was done through productive work and education,
supported by the state. As in the case of the English, none can,
by force of evidence, prove that AEE had a distastefully elitist
character.
Prince Mashele
Executive Director of The Centre for Politics
24
BANKER SA
feature3_1.indd 24
‘Black Economic
Empowerment should,
therefore, be assessed
with this aim in mind:
to eliminate poverty and
inequality affecting Black
people.’
Edition 9
2014/04/07 9:08 AM