Had enough of the employment equity debate?
Months after the country’s fourth ‘free and fair’ elections South Africa remains as obsessed with race as the day the National Party implemented Apartheid as a policy back in 1948. You cannot apply for a job, approach a government department for a tender,
We don’t care if Happy Valley Trading has the capacity to deliver the goods or services it tendered for, but rather whether we’ll secure enough BEE points by contracting with the company. And we pass over candidate after candidate because they haven’t ticked the right box on the race classification section of their job application. We live in a country where obsession with employment equity and quotas is stirring emotions across all communities.
When legislation entrenches racism
The white youth cannot understand why the hurdle for entry to certain courses at university is higher for them than for their supposedly disadvantaged classmates. Business managers weep when they have to overlook the most efficient supplier because it doesn’t meet often unobtainable empowerment credentials. And the black working class are repeatedly insulted when Commission for Employment Equity chair Jimmy Manyi feels the need to whip the country into a ‘race and employment’ frenzy! There is a “shortage of recognition of black people as competent,” said Manyi as his organisation released its 2008/2009 report to the media on 24 August 2009. He claims the organisation was unable to find a single “shining example” of the application of employment equity from among more than 100 randomly selected listed companies.
According to SAPA, Manyi indicated government would get tough in coming years. “There are going to be a lot more prosecutions [and] those who aren’t playing ball will be named and shamed.” Can we hope that the first person dragged into court on such charges can defend himself along the lines: Your honour – I don’t see colour – I hire to fill positions – and as such my ONLY measure is ability! We cannot imagine another country that would propose fining a corporation 10% of its annual turnover because the ‘colour’ headcount isn’t balanced.
South Africa’s Constitution enshrines equality for all, yet government has passed reams of race-based legislation since 1994. The Employment Equality Act is touted as essential for redressing the wrongs of the past; but there are those who argue it simply divides South Africa along race lines in perpetuity. How else do you describe department of labour’s intention to amend the country’s laws to enable it to punish companies who DON’T discriminate in their employment practices? This legislation allows a judge to rule that a director (for example) is guilty of not employing enough black, coloured, Indian or disabled people – and even to rule on gender representation. Unfortunately labour minister, Membathisi Mdladlana, disagrees, saying that discarding race-based legislation is tantamount to “throwing away [the same] Constitution.” Mdladlana didn’t let the matter rest there. He warned corporate South Africa of a pending revolution of all black people. He backed this warning with a threat: “You better touch our hand whilst we are still giving it!”
Can we abolish race profiling?
Can South Africa push forward without race-based assessments? Government thinks the only way to create equality in the workforce is to legislate it. But there must be an argument that racial lines will blur over time. We spent some time reading reader responses to a Fin24 article on this topic. These often bigoted responses also contain elements of truth. One reader suggests government’s threat to corporations is “rich [considering that they] spend millions on consultants in recognition of their own lack of competency!” Others appeal for a rational discussion of the root cause of the problem. “Why doesn’t government first ensure that ALL people are given a decent education to [create] the skills necessary to fill the gaps?” Manyi’s repeated denial of skill shortages doesn’t mean the country isn’t suffering from the scourge.
Affirmative action – a policy designed to assist in achieving employment equity ambitions has been under fire from minority parties for some time too. They argue, for example, that the system should be phased out after a certain period. In his response to Manyi, Freedom Front parliamentary spokesman Pieter Groenewald noted that “South Africa needs all its expertise on all employment levels to effectively overcome the current economic recession – and that is why the government should place a moratorium on the application of affirmative action!” Race-based legislation (and monitoring of its implementation) was introduced to address racial prejudice in the workplace. Instead it simply fans the fires, creating a perpetuating circle of racial acrimony. Another Fin24 reader phrases a belief held by many white citizens: “Sounds like Apartheid to me, one race getting preferential treatment over another.”
Editor’s thoughts: The employment equity debate is a smokescreen for the real problem in South Africa. The economy simply isn’t creating enough good jobs to keep all of the country’s citizens gainfully employed. In our view an education and entrepreneurship (EE) drive would do more good than any employment equity policy ever will. Do you think employment statistics will ever reflect the country’s demographics in the absence of continued government intervention? Add your comment below, or send it to [email protected]
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