ANC exploits Covid-19 to blatantly further its transformation agenda
27 January 2021
The ANC government is busy exploiting the Covid-19 pandemic to blatantly further its agenda of race-based transformation with absolutely no regard for the fact that minorities in South Africa are fighting for survival.
The government announced yesterday that a fund was created to aid the struggling tourism industry; it will provide grants, loans and financing to help the sector get back on its feet.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced, however, that the so-called Tourism Equity Fund (TEF) will only offer aid to businesses in black ownership.
This means that the government is absolutely indifferent to the fight for survival fought by numerous white and coloured operators in the industry, many of which are facing utter ruin.
The Fund has already received more than R1,2 billion in financing and will be managed by the Small Enterprise Financial Agency (Sefa). An amount of R54 million comes from the Department of Tourism, R120 million from Sefa itself and then another R594 million from commercial banks in the form of loans offered to businesses that "qualify".
Today’s announcement links strongly with the President's recent statements that black businesspeople must benefit from the Covid-19 vaccine programme and that preference will be given to black people in re-building the economy.
In the initial stages of the Covid-19 lockdown, the government also gave preference to black-owned businesses when it came to awarding loans.
This discrimination based on race is shocking and unacceptable. After nearly ten months of lockdown, the entire tourism industry has been forced to its knees – not only the black-owned portion of it.
Both black and white people lost their jobs and businesses during the hard lockdown. The re-build programme will not be successful if only black people are empowered by it.
All races in South Africa must work together to re-build the economy and the FF Plus will oppose this unacceptable course of events in all possible ways.
Issued by Michal Groenewald, FF Plus MP and chief spokesperson: Tourism, 27 January 2021
