All available evidence contradicts Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s recent claims of BEE’s “great success”, says the Institute of Race Relations (IRR). If this is “success,” then it is a success the majority of South Africans beyond the confines of elite empowerment deals have been excluded from. The IRR’s nationally representative polling in 2025 found that most South Africans reject not only the claim of BEE’s success, but the underpinning principles of the policy as well. GDP per capita has been flat or falling since 2008, leaving South Africans on average poorer than they were 15 years ago. The IRR therefore calls on the Deputy President to urgently provide verifiable, data-backed evidence of the “great success” he attributes to BEE.