WHY WE SUPPORT WILMOT JAMES
Two Tshwane-based DA members, Michael Shackleton and Dumisani Thwala state the case for Wilmot James to lead the Democratic Alliance.
The Democratic Alliance is inherently a democratic party. Robust debate is the hallmark of any democracy and it is with this in mind that we put our views forward as committed members of a Party that we care about very deeply.
With BEE being one of the most hotly-debated items on the political transformation agenda, it is with great interest to note that the front-runners for the position of DA Federal Leader at the upcoming 2015 Federal Congress, have opposing views on how best to implement it. We are, of course, referring to Wilmot James and Mmusi Maimane respectively, who both serve the Party and the people of South Africa in the National Assembly.
The current employment equity scorecard ranks ownership at 25 points, management control at 15 plus 4 bonus points, skills development at 20 plus 5 bonus points, new enterprise and supplier development at 40 points while socio-economic development receives a meagre 5 points.
Dr Wilmot James feels that BEE should be socio-economically based when choosing beneficiaries, which we wholeheartedly agree with. When one considers the now defunct Aurora and the number of times top politicians and their families are linked to BEE deals, it is clear that socio-economic considerations present a key developmental tool for growing the pool of beneficiaries and spreading wealth.