Ten years after the first free elections in South Africa, any general assessment of the new government’s achievements would have to take BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) into account as a major pillar of its economic policy. However, this policy cannot be assessed apart from the full range of domestic economic policies, as it is just one aspect of the ANC’s economic decisions over a decade. Accordingly, the successes and failures of the South African economy over the past ten years should not be likened to those of BEE.