According to the man who set up the empowerment charter’s steering committee, Norman Munzhelele, a draft was sent to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), but the report was returned with queries.

He says members of the steering committee have gone back to consult with their respective industries and should report back at the end of the month. Let’s face it, this is going to be a very long wait. Even the people who thought it was a great idea to be part of this “instrument of change” have grown tired of the idea and are focusing on other things like… Oh, I don’t know… joining forces with recruitment agency giants and making CLK63s full of money. Great plan, by the way. Why didn’t I think of that? Another thing that makes me think this charter may not be finalised as quickly as Munzhelele thinks is the current political bullfighting that’s going on in South Africa. It was all good and well when they were focusing on personal vendettas and naming and shaming each other at every opportunity, but now that they’re touching on issues that actually affect us, this may be a problem. That, coupled with the fact that some of the people who moved out of the ANC household to shack up with Shikota, might form part of important groups such as the aforementioned steering committee.

You still don’t know what I’m talking about? Well, here it is: last month, the COPE-masters came out, guns blazing, saying that the country needs to change its requirements for how people qualify for affirmative action and/or BBBEE. I understand that they must want to seduce the Indian, white, coloured and even the Chinese vote, but when a black guy says being black is not criteria enough to qualify for BEE, it somehow just doesn’t sit right.