Democratic Alliance leader, John Steenhuisen says he has sent a written petition to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), opposing the use of relief funds in a racially discriminatory way by the South African government.
In the written petition addressed to the managing director of IMF Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Steenhuisen tells her that she is not aware of the conditions upon which the South African government intends to make the emergency relief funding requested from IMF to help fund COVID-19 emergency relief measures available to it’s citizens.
“It has been confirmed by at least two government departments, Small Business Development and Tourism that the race of the business owner and particularly compliance with the government’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment redress program(BBEEE), will be a qualifying criteria,” said Steenhuisen.
DA leader also says IMF should make any funding obtained from the IMF for the purpose of COVID-19 emergency relief conditional on it’s non-racial use.
“Given that this is emergency relief funding to assist stricken businesses to keep their doors open and keep their employees in jobs, it is unconscionable for a government to deny any citizens assistance based on their race,” he said.
Steenhuisen further adds that there is a big difference between a government redress program and emergency relief during a pandemic and that withholding emergency relief on the basis of the race of the owner of the business will cause untold misery for those who doesn’t qualify.
“While funding made available by IMF for COVID-19 relief does not carry the same conditions as regular IMF loans, I am sure you will agree that such emergency relief should be intended for all those affected by the crisis and not just those of a certain race,” he said.
