IRR to unveil bold new law to end fake transformation, tackle poverty head-on

Ending poverty and driving growth, rather than merely ticking racial boxes, are the core objectives of the latest draft legislation to be published by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) as part of its #WhatSACanBe campaign.

The Freedom From Poverty Bill, to be launched next week, sets out an effective alternative socio-economic empowerment model to failed race-based policies such as BEE and employment equity, which represent only fake transformation.

In an online webinar to be hosted next Wednesday by IRR Strategic Engagements Manager Makone Maja, the IRR’s Head of Policy Research, Dr Anthea Jeffery, will unpack the Bill’s core argument, that true transformation is not about ticking racial boxes, but about ending poverty and driving growth for all South Africans, regardless of race.

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently stated that transformation “is not about ticking boxes” but about building a sustainable economy. Yet, the IRR argues, government policies like Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and Employment Equity do exactly that: entrench racial categorisation, entrench inequality, and block economic growth. Those most in need of economic upliftment suffer the most.

Says Maja: “These policies have not delivered broad-based empowerment. They have empowered cadres, cronies, and elites, not the economically marginalised. It’s time for real transformation and real empowerment for all South Africans in need.”

The IRR’s Freedom From Poverty Bill offers a fair, pro-growth non-racial alternative: Economic Empowerment for the Disadvantaged (EED). Co-authored by Dr Jeffery and IRR Head of Strategic Communications Hermann Pretorius, the Bill proposes a powerful shift away from race-based legislation to a system that prioritises current economic need through meaningful, measurable reform.

Key provisions in the Freedom From Poverty Bill include:

• Abolishing fake transformation policies such as BEE and Employment Equity.
• Replacing race-based criteria with need-based empowerment under EED.
• Implementing a voucher-based funding model to ensure access to education, housing, and healthcare for the truly disadvantaged.
• Eliminating policy barriers to growth and job creation by repealing race quotas and race-linked procurement.

Says Maja: “The Freedom From Poverty Bill is the first real policy alternative that dismantles race-based gatekeeping and builds opportunity on the basis of merit and need. It’s real, pro-growth, non-racial transformation to achieve real outcomes that matter.”

Details of the Freedom From Poverty Bill webinar are:

Date: Wednesday 9 July 2025

Time: 10:00

Speakers:

Anthea Jeffery, IRR Head of Policy Research

Makone Maja, IRR Strategic Engagements Manager

Register: https://streamyard.com/watch/8TrGw6iNGbZF

Media contact: Makone Maja, IRR Strategic Engagements Manager Tel: 079 418 6676 Email: makone@irr.org.za

Media enquiries: Michael Morris Tel: 066 302 1968 Email: michael@irr.org.za