The African National Congress (ANC) government has "killed" more black businesses and black professionals than the National Party did during its 48-year rule, Bonang Mohale, CEO of Business Leadership SA, said on Wednesday.

By this, Mohale meant that the present government had not done enough for black businesses and black professionals. 

In South Africa over the last 25 years, white oppressors were replaced by black oppressors, white masters by black masters and white billionaires by black billionaires, Mohale told Eusebius McKaiser in an interview on Radio 702.

"It is critical to have this conversation, to out the people that have used blackness for their own selfish gains. Poverty still has a black face," said Mohale.

"We must at some stage look at ourselves in the mirror - by admitting the past wrongs - and give our children a better future."

In Mohale's view, SA has slipped backward over the past two decades.

'We are leadership bankrupt'

"The tragedy is that we are so leadership bankrupt that those found guilty by a court of law are still on the ANC election list. It is not good enough to say someone is guilty until proven innocent. Leaders must lead by example," said Mohale.

"Dialogues are very important. The struggle against apartheid was just and virtuous. On the other hand, there are good people among the white community. There are good people among black South Africans as well as bad people. We must accept that."

In his view, the struggle has always been about how to lift the bottom half of the population and not about just creating gains for the elite.

He questioned why, 25 years after the creation of an employment equity policy, white CEOs are still appointed. In his view, this creates the impression that there are no black people with the necessary skills.

Mohale said he would like to see black businesses doing business with other black businesses, and gave what, in his view, was a good example of Jewish people doing business with other Jewish people.

At the same time, he said diversity leads to "a healthy bottom line" and more sustainable business.

"When we are more inclusive, we debate and have dialogue, even if we do not agree. It shows we are prepared to listen to each other so that the outcome can be better than when we started initially," said Mohale.

"Then we can together accomplish that which on our own will take too long. Then it can be win-win-win."