Capitalist Crusader

By the time democracy was established in South Africa in 1994, I was already a successful capitalist. It was entirely unnecessary for me to seek out the black economic empowerment (BEE) appointments that were elevating black business people. I had sufficient money to ensure comfort for my family, and I had the business to rebuild and run after the devastating fire just before the dawn of our democracy. When Parliament started debating bringing legislation to enact black economic empowerment, I realised that with or without me, BEE was going to be a reality in the country’s economic landscape. We all thought the process would be short-lived and smooth. At about the same time, my white business colleagues were knocking at my door daily asking that I invest in their businesses. This resulted in the establishment of my investment company in 2002 to focus on such opportunities. I was able to hand over the reins of Black Like Me in 2004 to my wife. During the first 10 years of our democracy I supported the African National Congress. It was encouraging to see that housing, electrification, and provision of water were priorities for the government and that jobs previously the preserve of white people were now being taken up by qualified black applicants. But gradually I began to have doubts about the focus of the ANC. It seemed as though the ANC itself was the main priority, that party leadership instead of national leadership seemed to have taken over, and that personal agendas instead of national priorities were prevalent.