The Lord detests differing weights

Proverbs 20:23 highlights how South Africa’s unequal policies create an unstable system.

Proverbs is part of the Hebrew wisdom literature. While the principal author is traditionally attributed to King Solomon, there are a few other writers such as King Lemuel. Its purpose is to offer practical guidance on ethical conduct and social order.

Proverbs 20:23 states that, “the Lord detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him.”

This proverb uses the metaphor of rigged scales to make the point that God opposes any two tier system. The verse condemns any system, whether economic or political, built on “one rule for me, another for thee.”

Applying this verse to South Africa I want to ask the following question.

Are there unequal weights, rules that apply differently to different groups?

Since 1994 South Africa has pursued a series of unequal policies, most notably Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and Employment Equity (EE). Over time, these frameworks have expanded in scope and regulatory intensity, moving from voluntary scorecards to binding sectoral targets and, more recently, to prescriptive demographic requirements in the workplace. The practical outcome has been a system in which firms must navigate a set of rules governing ownership, procurement and hiring.

These interventions have introduced the modern equivalent of “differing weights,” creating uneven obligations across groups and sectors. Compliance costs have risen, incentives have become distorted, and the benefits have often concentrated among politically connected elites rather than broadening economic participation.

The burden falls unevenly: small firms face higher administrative hurdles than large ones, and skilled minorities encounter binding ceilings that limit mobility irrespective of performance. The asymmetry has grown sharper over the past three decades, entrenching, “one rule for me and another for thee.”

While South Africa’s current system is one of uneven scales, history shows that such arrangements are inherently unstable. Systems built on imbalance tend to erode their own legitimacy and ultimately collapse under the weight of their contradictions.

This is part of a broader moral order: unjust structures cannot endure. The Lord detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him. The task is to look forward and seek the wisdom to build institutions grounded in equal weights and sustainability. This is the direction Lex Libertas aims to advance. The challenge now is for citizens to support efforts that move the country toward a durable framework.