Corporate Youth Jan. / Feb. 2014 | Page 13

The 101 of Laws, Policies and Legislature Deciphering Legal Jargon: How to use the BBBEE to your advantage as an SMME By: Jehoshaphat Njau Why the BBBEE Contrary to popular belief, and what the public in South Africa have come to know, the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) policy was not a “get rich quick scheme”. It seems to me that the true essence of the BBBEE was lost in translation as a result of corruption and the abuse of the system, just like many other policies established to benefit the public as a collective without discrimination or favouritism. BBBEE was introduced after 1994 as a tool to address the inequalities that were brought about by the apartheid government. The apartheid regime had its flaws and by the time South Africa celebrated its freedom in 1994, majority of the black communities were economically disadvantaged and lived under severe poverty. As a result, the new government was faced with the task of seeking ways to e Ʌ