In this debate, and the transformation debate, the obvious elephant in the room is overlooked.
Whites make up less than 10% of the population, with a large and growing black majority and a generation passed since the end of apartheid.
How is it that economic opportunity for black South Africans is still predicated on either replacing white business, replacing white employees or getting government tenders?
The economy has failed to grow past what it was in 1994: sized and structured around a small population of whites, as if SA were the size of Belgium.
Replacing white business with black business, transforming the employment landscape to be 80% black, will not change the size of the economy, the rate of unemployment or poverty...it would only share the pain.
Why is Soweto not yet a city with a CBD and business opportunities to match? We don’t need fewer white employees, we need more blackbusinesses, the room for growth - for everybody! - is in the black population.
What has gone wrong?