The Implementation Of Black Economic Empowerment (Bee) In The Central District Municipality (Cdm)
The study was an exploration into the implementation of Black Economic Empowerment {BEE) and/or Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment {BBBEE) in the Central District Municipality {COM) in the North West Province of the Republic of South Africa. BEE/BBBEE is a government socio-economic intervention that is meant to ameliorate the socioeconomic conditions of the majority of South Africans, particularly those -who were previously excluded from active participation in the mainstream economy, and thus, found themselves relegated in the periphery of major economic activities. Amongst this group are Blacks{Africans, Colored and Indians), women, youth, people living with disability, the majority of whom live in poverty in the rural areas across the country. What actually tricked the study of this nature was this perception in the country, that although BEE/BBBEE was beneficial, its benefits were not really reaching the intended beneficiaries - the poorest of the poor on the ground. Instead, the BEE/BBBEE intervention is perceived by many as the tool that makes the rich richer, the poor poorer, and thus entrenching the widening gab between the rich and the poor. What is more disturbing is that only a few elites seem to benefit more at the expense of the majority of the poor. The design of the study is exploratory, and by also considering the nature of the research problem/sub-problems, research questions and the research objectives, the researcher opted for the qualitative approach to study the implementation of BEE/BBBEE within the CDM. Purposive sampling was preferred, and two most important qualitative research methods, namely, qualitative in-depth interviewing and qualitative document analysis, were used to collect the relevant data. Grounded theory and qualitative content analysis were employed in analysing the pertinent data underlying the study. Several findings were made, including amongst others, that: (i) Managers in the CDM did not see the implementation of BEE/BBBEE as their responsibility and that they were focusing more on Integrated Development Planning (IDP) and Local Economic Development (LED), with little or no attention whatsoever given to BEE/BBBEE. It was also evident that no adequate time was given to BEE/BBBEE and its status in the CDM was non-existent. (ii) What also emerged was that, BEE/BBBEE was not well-catered for in terms of staffing and budgeting, and there were absolutely no resources available for BEE/BBBEE projects and programmes, as most of these resources were specifically channeled to !DPs and LEDs, at the exclusion of BEE/BBBEE. Managers, the study revealed, were not keen in showing the readiness to equip themselves with the required skills, competences and management capabilities needed to drive the implementation of BEE/BBBEE. (iii) Also evident was the lack of institutional and infrastructural arrangements pertaining to the implementation of BEE/BBBEE in the CDM, with only such arrangements made specifically for IDPs and LEDs. Overall, managers' take on BEE/BBBEE was found to be totally lacking. Management's roles concerning the implementation of BEE/BBBEE could not be ascertained; as such management roles were not clearly defined and properly articulated. The study also revealed that there were no specific policies, plans, procedures, methods, strategies, rules and regulations in place pertaining to the implementation of BEE/BBBEE in the COM. The result of this was that BEE/BBBEE was being carried out on a haphazard and on an ad hoc basis, and thus impacting negatively on its effectiveness, efficiency, viability and sustainability. (iv) It also became evident from the study that the issues of SMME promotion and support, and that of job creation and poverty alleviation, though central to the socio-economic development of the local communities, were not given the necessary impetus that they deserved. These findings confirm the main problem underlying this study, that the implementation of BEE/BB