Trade union Solidarity on Tuesday challenged cellphone giant Vodacom to refuse applications from poor white South Africans wanting to buy shares meant for the black public.<\/p>\n
"It is easy to take political decisions, but it is simply not right to say to poor whites living in leaking shacks with children…. that they may not buy the Yebo Yethu discounted shares, on the grounds of race," said union spokesman Dirk Hermann.<\/p>\n
This after the union conducted visits to white informal settlements. It said it had conducted the visits in order to" break the silence about white poverty".<\/p>\n
"On which moral grounds can Vodacom deprive these poor from empowerment, but rich black millionaires can again be empowered by this transaction?" asked Hermann.<\/p>\n
However the company said its BEE transactions reflected a "commercial imperative".<\/p>\n
"Vodacom’s broad based BEE transaction reflects a commercial imperative. Vodacom sells products to business, government and groups which require the presentation of acceptable BEE credentials," said company spokeswoman Dot Field.<\/p>\n
Vodacom’s economic empowerment transactions were meant to comply with the requirements set out in the Department of Trade and Industry’s BBBEE codes of good practice.<\/p>\n
"These requirements extended to the Yebo Yethu public offer and we therefore can only invite black people and black group as defined by these codes to participate," said Field.<\/p>\n
Black South Africans had until September 11 to purchase the shares.<\/p>\n