The tenets of Critical Race Theory act as the “lynchpin” theory underpinning BEE policy, and in practice serve to silence the voices of most South Africans of all races, whose preferences accord with abandoning race-based policy, the IRR argues in a new report this week.
Critical Race Theory & Race-Based Policy: A threat to Liberal Democracy, written by IRR head of policy research Dr Anthea Jeffery, examines the origins of Critical Race Theory, its biggest proponents, and what influence it has on life in South Africa.
The report explores three core tenets of Critical Race Theory: that “racism is ordinary and ever-present”; “race is an artificial ‘social construct’ used by whites to perpetuate their domination”; and “colour-blind policies and incremental change perpetuate racism”.
The report shows how these tenets act as the “lynchpin” of BEE policy in theory, and in practice serve to silence the voices of most South Africans, of all races, whose preferences accord with abandoning race-based policy.
The report analyzes hard evidence of what ordinary South Africans think, and demonstrates various ways in which this thinking substantially departs from Critical Race Theory’s core tenets.
The report further provides a robust argument for why, even with the best intentions, BEE as a practical implementation of Critical Race Theory can never work as intended. It describes the dramatic, pragmatic alternative of a needs-based policy framework that would not only stimulate economic growth but also bring the law back in line with what ordinary citizens want and respect.
Dr Jeffery will unpack this material in an online media briefing tomorrow at 10am.
IRR head of campaigns Gabriel Crouse described the report as striking to the very heart of the IRR’s mission, the promotion of non-racialism, of fact-based reasoning, of reason-based policy, and of responsible government in South Africa.