JOHANNESBURG – As the national debate around the Democratic Alliance’s proposed amendments to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) intensifies, telecoms leaders are warning that scrapping or weakening empowerment laws could roll back decades of progress in economic transformation and black business ownership.
For Sean Shipalana, CEO of Moropa Site Solutions, the empowerment framework has been life-changing, not just for his business, but for the communities they serve.
“Without BEE, we would never have entered the telecoms industry,” Shipalana says. “It’s one of the most capital-heavy and closed industries in South Africa. BEE gave us the opportunity to compete, build infrastructure, and create jobs in areas that were once forgotten.”
BEE Opened the Door to Telecoms Transformation
Moropa Site Solutions is among the few 100% black-owned telecoms and infrastructure companies in South Africa. Through its projects, it has built cell towers in rural and underserved communities, expanding internet and network coverage in areas neglected by major operators.
“BEE was the bridge that allowed us to enter an industry previously reserved for a few,” Shipalana explains. “It created space for new players, partnerships, and investments. Without empowerment laws, the same handful of companies would still be controlling South Africa’s connectivity backbone.”
He adds that corruption should not be confused with empowerment. “When tenders are inflated or misused, that’s corruption, not BEE. The framework isn’t the problem. Weak accountability is. It’s unfair to punish legitimate black businesses for what corrupt individuals do.”
Access to Finance Still the Biggest Barrier for Black Businesses
According to Moropa Site Solutions co-founder, Khanya Shipalana, financial exclusion remains one of the biggest obstacles for black entrepreneurs.
“We approached sixteen funders before one believed in us,” she recalls. “Even today, we estimate that less than one percent of South Africa’s telecoms infrastructure spend goes to black-owned businesses.”
Access to finance, she says, determines who gets to build and who gets left out. Without BEE and targeted transformation policies, most black-owned companies would not survive in capital-intensive sectors like telecoms, construction, and energy.
Call for Reform, Not Removal
While Moropa supports reforms to improve transparency and fairness within the BEE system, it warns against dismantling empowerment policies entirely.
“BEE isn’t a token gesture. It’s a tool for inclusion,” Sean Shipalana says. “It’s about correcting decades of exclusion. Reform it, strengthen it, make it transparent, but don’t remove it. If we allow the majority of South Africans to participate fully in the economy, everyone benefits.”
He cautions that scrapping BEE would stall transformation and widen inequality. “We’re already facing financial exclusion and delayed government payments. Removing BEE would collapse the momentum of black economic growth.”
Empowerment in Action
Moropa Site Solutions’ work speaks for itself. The company’s projects have helped bridge South Africa’s digital divide, providing connectivity and employment in townships and rural areas. By sourcing materials and labour locally, the company continues to empower small suppliers and support community growth.
“True transformation is about sustainability,” Shipalana concludes. “When black-owned companies succeed, jobs are created, communities grow, and the economy becomes more inclusive. That’s what empowerment should achieve.”
About Moropa Site Solutions
Moropa Site Solutions is a 100% black-owned South African telecoms and infrastructure company dedicated to bridging the digital divide. The company provides connectivity to rural and underserviced regions, empowering local communities, supporting small businesses, and driving inclusive economic growth through practical transformation.
Media Contact:
Melini Moses
Express Yourself
📞 083 528 4755
📧 melini@expressyourself.co.za
If a policy, hurts it’s proposed constituents more than it benefits them. Then it should be scrapped.
BEE has for the past 30 years been abused by the government, to enrich a few politically connected households. It’s failings has seen the rise in tenderpreneurs corruption, excessive costs and hurt the development of all businesses cutting employment for Black employee’s more than it has generated black employment.
Even worse, because of government policy, we have seen a brain drain (and investment) drain of the best South Africa has to offer…. +-80 of our best business and brightest leave our borders a day, this leaves South Africa poorer overall. (Unmeasured)
The real value in modern society is GDP growth over population growth. We are in negative values now. Meaning our children will be poorer, no matter what, unless we change the trajectory this country is on. South Africa is the only country in the world right now on this trajectory, even North Koreans will tomorrow be wealthier than they are today. Think about that before you demand that there be no change to a system that incentivizes one racial group to stay while the rest move on.