Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers, Deputy Ministers and members of this august House, we meet today to debate one of the most important pieces of legislation which tries to demolish apartheid barriers.
The Constitution of the country demands that the government must put in place measures to redress the past injustice. Marcus Garvey once said: "A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots." When strong winds blow, the tree falls down. So, by addressing the issue of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment, BBBEE, we will get to the root of this evil, which led to the discussion of this Bill today.
The Population Registration Act of 1950 classified all inhabitants of South Africa into one of the following categories: whites, who were sometimes referred to as Europeans; Africans, who were referred to as blacks, nonwhites or Bantu; coloured; and Indians, who were not recognised as South Africans because the apartheid government claimed that their citizenship could be claimed in India.
That's why in provinces like the Free State, the Indians were not allowed to stay there and when they were passing by they had to get a permit; it was because of this Population Registration Act. This categorisation determined the person's social and economic status. If you were black, the prospect of advancing in life was very limited. If you were categorised as white, your prospect of attaining economic freedom was enhanced. This enhancement of the white person's status was promoted through government intervention, better education, support of white businesses and access to cheap loans for the farmers. The black people were dispossessed of the land and their rights to participate in the economy were denied through laws which restricted them from opening businesses in the so-called white areas.
Even at the height of this repression, the ANC made a clarion call in the Freedom Charter that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and therefore gave the future of the country a nonracial character. This call was made five years after the Population Registration Act was promulgated and three years after Bantu education was enacted, which was aimed at ensuring that blacks never attained full potential to participate in the economy.
In its 53rd conference, the ANC adopted the National Development Plan, NDP, as its long-term vision to transform the South African society from a colonial and apartheid past to a national democratic society. The NDP, in chapter 15, recognises that the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act is a tool to empower Africans, Indians and coloureds, as well as women, workers, youth, people living with disabilities and the people living in rural areas, through the facilitation of ownership and management of enterprises and productive assets.
The NDP also recognises the impediments to realising this goal of broad participation in the economy. Firstly, lack of capital to acquire ownership and control; secondly, the debt-driven deals; thirdly, misaligned targets and definitions between the BBBEE and the codes and charters that flow from the BBBEE Act.
The NDP recommends that a statutory body be formed in the Department of Trade and Industry to regulate BBBEE verification and control. In compliance with the NDP, this Bill proposes the establishment of the Broad- Based Black Economic Empowerment Commission, whose functions will include the following. Firstly, to oversee, supervise and promote adherence to this Act. This means that for the first time we are going to have a dedicated body which is going to scan the entire environment to ensure that this Act is complied with, unlike today, whereby we've got a fragmented approach to