The trade union Solidarity has filed a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission because race will play a role when aid is given to small businesses that are suffering from the Covid 19 crisis.
It comes a day after Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Minister of Small Business, assured that there is no requirement for businesses to be 51% black-owned to qualify for assistance. She has ensured that businesses of “all demographics” will be assisted, provided they are owned by South Africans, have their tax affairs in order and contribute to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).
She did say that the distribution of aid must be “demographically representative”, and that is what Solidarity objects to.
“While the rest of us are indeed preparing for a time of crisis and unprecedented hardship, the government sees it as just a golden opportunity to enforce its offensive racial ideology. It is horrible, ”says Dirk Hermann, Solidarity’s chief executive.
The government released this statement yesterday:
