COPE has rolled out a non-racial view on affirmative action.
Leaders of the Congress of the People (Cope) emerged from the party's four-day conference yesterday emphasising that they backed the stringent fiscal policies espoused by finance minister Trevor Manuel, but favoured adjusting empowerment and affirmative action policies to benefit everyone who needed to be affirmed, including white people.

"Let us immediately and upfront say we have been part of government until very recently," said Mosiuoa Lekota, who was confirmed as president of a party widely seen as posing a significant challenge to the ANC.

"We were in full support of very many measures, including [the macroeconomic framework]. We can't change things for the sake of changing them, unless we can provide something better."

Speaking at the closing session of the Cope founding conference, Lekota said a non-racial tool should be used to determine whether someone should enjoy state support - whether it be loans for small business, university bursaries or social welfare grants.

He said there was a need to support young whites who were academically capable but could not afford university fees.
full story from Business Report here
Already the Black Lawyers Association has come out against the idea.
The Black Lawyers Association (BLA) expressed concern on Wednesday over new Cope president Mosiuoa Lekota's statement on affirmative action, labelling it as a "threat".

At the party's inaugural conference in Bloemfontein on Tuesday, Lekota said the Congress of the People would abide by the Constitution and was committed to the policy of affirmative action.

However, Lekota also stated that affirmative action should not be implemented on the basis of race.

Said BLA president Andiswa Ndoni: "This statement exhibits a lack of understanding of the rationale behind employment equity and broad-based economic empowerment policies.

"Both these policies were meant to enable black people to participate as equals within the corporate world and the economy."

He said anyone committed to giving effect to the Bill of Rights in the Constitution would realise that black South Africans, including professionals, continued to be disadvantaged in the corporate world and in the economy as a whole.

"The figures released by the Employment Equity Commission annually speak for themselves. Any other basis than race is not workable because it is precisely because of past racial discrimination that the workplace did not reflect the demographics of the country."

Ndoni said the full and effective participation of black South Africans in the economy could only be achieved through the acceleration of both these policies.
full story from M&G here
Personally, I'm reminded of an old adage - "You don't have to make back your money the same way you lost it."