http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2177389,00.htmlThis is 'scandalous ANC racism'
05/09/2007 09:39 - (SA)
Cobus Claassen, Beeld
Pretoria - The Tshwane metro council will in future refuse to do small business transactions with white businesses.
The council's internal purchase division received this order last week.
Kiba Kekana, the council's municipal manager, last month approved a report determining that no white businesses may in future be considered when the council purchased goods for less than R30 000. The same applied to tenders.
Beeld obtained a copy of the report which was approved by Kekana on August 6.
'This is no joke'
The changes were applicable from September 1.
According to the report, only small and medium-sized businesses "exclusively in the possession of black people" which were on the council's data basis would be considered.
Quotations must be obtained from at least three different service providers.
The report also suggested that delegation of power regarding the buying of goods must be recalled after the council's new alternative service delivery structure started on July 1.
A council official who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of losing his job, said white businesses were approved in the past if their quotations were cheaper.
"We were told last week to buy only from black businesses. I paid between R6 000 and R7 000 more for goods to comply with the new requirements.
"This is going to become an expensive order," he predicted.
The report indicated that an "alternative report" by Hamilton Hhlom, the executive director of acquisitions, must be approved when three quotations cannot be obtained and they were forced to make use of a white business's services.
The owner of a company who had been doing business with several departments of the council for the past 15 years, said he would have to close his company's doors immediately.
"At first I thought it was a joke when I heard the rumours. It's not a joke when you realise it is the end of you business. What must I tell my empoyees?"
Natasha Michael, the chief whip of the DA, said the party was shocked to find out about the report.
"The council is doing business with several black economic empowerment businesses. Years of experience will be ignored."
According to Michael it was not the national legislature's aim to isolate certain individuals on racist grounds.
"It's simply to set straight previous imbalances. The report will lead to new imbalances."
Conrad Beyers, FF+ council member, described the decision as scandalous ANC racism.
"The ANC are crossing all barriers of reasonability. It's all about ideologies and even people who earn their bread and butter suffer on the grounds of race."
The council did not react to enquiries made by Beeld for comment on the story.
Topic: Pretoria municipality not allowed to do business with whites (Read 2551 times)