MMUSI MAIMANE | Education the missing link in SA’s quest for economic justice

One cannot help but notice the co-ordinated campaign currently under way in South Africa calling for the scrapping of BEE and broader mechanisms of economic redress. This campaign is led by a familiar coalition of DA-adjacent political parties, civil society organisations and prominent individuals whose central claim is that the empowerment model has primarily benefited a small, connected elite and therefore must be abandoned.

On the other side of the debate we find the ANC and its allies. Here, the prevailing assumption is that BEE will heal the wounds of South Africa’s structurally and racially unequal economy.

The truth is that both extremes fail the country. What is required is a shift away from ideological extremes towards practical solutions that genuinely expand opportunity.

We must consider a different kind of empowerment, especially one in which empowering all South Africans begins with education.

Proposed cuts to the basic education budget are deeply concerning. Poor, predominantly black schools that are already under-resourced will bear the brunt. This while wealthier quintile 4 and 5 schools, facing growing enrolments and escalating demand for quality education, will see class sizes increase and resources stretched even further. We cannot support this. To genuinely fix South Africa’s education system, we must confront multiple, interlinked challenges in the education system.

• Libraries: only 5,863 of South Africa’s 22,511 public schools have a library. That leaves 74% of schools without access to books, depriving learners of a critical resource.
• Low university admission rates: last year, only 47% of learners achieved a bachelor’s pass, and fewer than 15% of these went on to enrol in university. This is a damning indictment of systemic inequities.
• 30% pass mark: continuing to accept a 30% pass mark for matric undermines learners’ potential and entrenches a culture of mediocrity.
• Global skills rankings: South Africa ranks 107th out of 141 countries in skills readiness, with 81% of children unable to read for meaning by the age of 10.
• Access to mathematics: more than 500 schools nationwide do not offer mathematics, a subject fundamental for participation in the modern economy.
• Infrastructure deficits: 10,938 schools lack flushing toilets, and 383 have no access to running water.
• Budget underspending: provincial education departments underspent R150m in the past financial year alone, reflecting chronic mismanagement.
• Child safety: 93% of adults working in schools have not been vetted against the Sex Offenders Register, exposing learners to unacceptable risks.

These failures are not inevitable. They are the result of chronic underinvestment, mismanagement and misplaced policy priorities. If South Africa is serious about true empowerment, we must start with the most fundamental building block of opportunity, which is quality education for all.

South Africa’s path forward requires a departure from the false dichotomy of scrapping redress or clinging to a captured model

The data shows that children in under-resourced schools are far less likely to achieve matric results that allow them to access tertiary education or skilled employment. Inequality is baked into the system, with the poorest 40% operating with fewer resources, larger class sizes, and less-qualified teachers than schools serving wealthier communities. This structural inequality ensures that other forms of empowerment, economic to political, remain captured by elites.

The implications are difficult to correct or reverse.

Meaningful economic empowerment begins with a robust, equitable education system. This requires restoring and expanding budgets for teacher development, libraries, Stem subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and school infrastructure.

Accountability must also be enforced rigorously, ensuring curriculum rigour, professional teacher development and safe learning environments. Every rand invested in education produces measurable long-term returns in skills, productivity and economic participation.

This is truly a moral and economic imperative. Equipping all South Africans with the skills to participate fully in the economy accelerates growth, strengthens social cohesion, and creates genuine opportunity for upward mobility. Broad-based basic education empowerment is the foundation upon which future generations can achieve meaningful inclusion, social mobility and dignity. Without it, other empowerment initiatives risk being hollow, captured by elites, and incapable of transforming society.

South Africa’s path forward requires a departure from the false dichotomy of scrapping redress or clinging to a captured model. True transformation demands a focus on long-term, broad-based solutions that equip all citizens to participate fully in the economy. Education is the linchpin. Prioritising basic education is not just a policy choice; it is a strategic investment in the country’s social and economic future.

Broad-based basic education empowerment is the starting point for a South Africa in which opportunity, dignity and fairness are not privileges of the few but rights for all. Only by investing in education can we ensure that economic empowerment policies truly reach the majority, break cycles of poverty, and create the foundation for sustainable growth. Anything less is simply an abdication of responsibility to the next generation.

• Maimane is an MP and leader of Build One South Africa