Mfeketo defends BEE policy

Cape Town Mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo has defended the city's black empowerment policy after critics slammed the Big Bay BEE initiative as a failure. Black-owned companies were given the opportunity to purchase 65 plots at Big Bay as part of an empowerment initiative. However, the companies simply put many of the plots back on the market and some made substantial profits. Critics say the transactions were nothing but "handouts" to a select few ANC suporters. In response to the resale of the land, the mayor's office says it is not the city’s responsibility to baby-sit the new owners and that no restrictions were attached to the tender for the land.