Your headline “White males face the chop” (March 6 to 12), and key elements of the accompanying article, give a completely misleading impression of our employment equity policy. I use this opportunity to re-emphasise a point that was almost lost in the presentation of the article: “No one at the University of Cape Town (UCT) will be targeted merely because they are white and male.”
Competent white men who are doing their jobs well have nothing to fear at UCT – and the vast majority fall into this category. They may include many of our top researchers and teachers in all faculties who are indispensable if we wish to build a world-class university. In contrast, incompetent, unmotivated people, whatever their gender or colour, are unlikely to have a long future here.
The article seeks to justify the assertion that white males are at risk at UCT by linking this to the fact that most of our deans will reach the end of their contracts when we introduce our new faculty structure at the beginning of 1999.
Our faculty restructuring has nothing to do with employment equity. It is intended to ensure that we have the most efficient and cost-effective systems to support our academic enterprise. Faculty mergers will mean that we will have six (instead of 10) faculties. That means that four deanship posts will no longer exist.
Our new faculty structure will require a fundamentally different role for deans in a system of devolved management and financial planning.
We have therefore established new criteria for the appointment of deans and all vacancies will be filled on this basis by properly constituted selection committees.
I have also said that we cannot go into the 21st century on the basis of a profile of deans who are all white males. If we cast our net into the broadest pool of talent available, I am confident that we will find that ability is not confined to white males. This can hardly be a controversial statement in 1998!
This brings me to our employment equity policy. I never use the phrase affirmative action, attributed to me in your report, because I reject its connotation of tokenism. Employment equity at UCT has nothing to do with tokenism. It is about the strategies we have been developing since 1991 to identify, recruit and retain outstanding black and women staff members.
Our objective is to attract excellent staff who would previously have been denied the opportunity to prove themselves – and offer them that chance. I will not be associated with a policy of employing poor performers simply because they are black or women.
Our performance appraisal system applies to all staff. At a time of resource constraints we cannot afford to carry people who are not adding maximum value to the institution or working hard to develop their full potential. – Dr Mamphela A Ramphele, vice-chancellor, UCT
Vrededorp’s fight
We would like to congratulate Lizeka Mda on the Vrededorp article (“Making a stand in Vrededorp”, March 6 to 12). It was informative, unbiased and medicine to a desperate community.
We have had articles on this area before, but none in comparison. Our Ratepayers and Residents Association has in the past 18 months fought issues surrounding neglect and creeping urban decay with council officials, but every new project needs money and the council firmly states that they have no money for capital projects in this area, so the fight continues. – Usha Bapoo
Don’t label Sigcau
I have read with interest all the media reports written on the Minister of Public Enterprises, Stella Sigcau, including your report (“Stella fights for her political life”, February 27 to March 5). It is such a shame that, in this country of ours with the majority of our citizens being grassroots people, there is a big rush to ignore them.
In 1994 those masses, who probably do not understand most of the terms that intellectuals use, braved the heat and storms to vote for the leaders whom they believed would understand them better than the previous government. Those people want to participate in the economic changes of their country, and Sigcau understood that better than most people, and she does not deserve the labels she has been given.
Minister of Transport Mac Maharaj is probably the darling of white businesses because of his endorsement of piecemeal privatisation of state assets, but is empowerment of the previously disadvantaged community part of the plan?
In this government of ours, we need more representatives who still feel for the downtrodden, and we do not need them in the welfare department only, but also in those portfolios that matter the most in our country. We need them to bring everyone else to the reality that South Africa will never command the respect of the world if only a few progress while the rest of the country swim in poverty.
It is such a pity that Sigcau and Minister of Health Nkosazana Zuma are always penalised for their efforts to uplift the downtrodden. They need to be supported. – B Mbhele, Port Shepstone
Imbongi’s real role
In an article on Tony O’Reilly (“New voice of the establishment”, February 13 to 19), I was quoted as saying: “I see our role as both the court jester and the imbongi [praise singer].” For the record, the full quote reported in five titles of Independent Newspapers read: “We are meant to be a modern version of the court jester, of the imbongi – the respected member of society tasked with pointing out the rights and wrongs of that society in order to maintain its health.”
A close study of African tribal life and African literature will indicate that an imbongi not only sings the praises of those tasked with leading the community, but also hands out harsh criticism when this is needed. – Zubeida Jaffer, group parliamentary editor, Independent Newspapers parliamentary bureau
Waste of R300 000
Iwish to refer to your article “Loan agency in R300 000 row” (January 16 to 22) and the subsequent response by comrade Reverend Dr Frank Chikane that a forensic audit has been ordered.
As a former resident (I lost my house) of Palm Springs, whose housing loan was financed by Khayalethu Home Loans (KHL), I find a few issues interesting.
Firstly, is the CEO of KHL so incompetent that he ends up using the services of his outside employee as a “researcher” and thereby elevating the latter to a “consultant”?
Secondly, if this consultant is so “efficient”, why is he not known to leading South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) members in whose areas meetings were allegedly held?
Thirdly, if proper procedures had been followed, would KHL have selected DM Development Consultants knowing that its one-man owner was an employee of Siza Khampepe?
Fourthly, why was the role of this consultant never mentioned to Sanco and its constituents?
Lastly, the KHL CEO has at all times been at the company premises since the announcement of the audit. Shouldn’t he have been suspended? Maybe it’s time for the president to re-appoint Chris Ball as executive chair of the company.
It is a great disappointment for R300 000 to have ended up as it did when it could have provided about six homeless families with much-needed houses. Hopefully the KHL CEO and his employee/consultant paid tax on the amount. – RP Kedisamong, Sebokeng
Family search
The inheritance of several old family portraits has prompted me into genealogical research to find out more about the subjects. Among them is a fine oil portrait of my grandfather, Reverend Peter Spencer’s younger brother William.
From the Public Records Office at Kew, he was reported to have died at Marakahies, north of the Orange River, and the plaque on his portrait gives November 23 1858 as the date of death. The news travelled quickly considering the limited means of communication prevailing.
In spite of searches by many kind authorities in South Africa, Marakahies has not yet been traced, and I am hoping you might be able to help me. I expect his death was reported in the South African press somewhere, but sadly I do not know where to look.
His father was a prosperous feather and wine merchant who died in 1839 and William carried on the business from his home, 123 High Holborn, where he last paid rates in 1842, after which I can find no trace of him till his death in 1858.
He was reputedly the bad lad of the family, so may have had to emigrate to avoid the law or creditors. Maybe he died on a wild ostrich hunting expedition, and perhaps Marakahies was a remote habitat of the birds?
Any help you can give me would be much appreciated indeed. – CTS Hawkins, The Fads, Sunderland Bridge Village, Durham DH6 5HB, United Kingdom
Serious buyers linger
As an active estate agent since 1988 please do not cause house sellers to panic unnecessarily (“House-hunters from hell”, February 27 to March 5). Yes, sales sometimes fall through for too many reasons to list here.
Contrary to your article, however, the longer buyers linger in a home the more serious they are. The world’s top real estate sales trainers encourage estate agents to get their buyers involved in the property and its potential.
Furthermore, friends or relatives can make or break a sale before the documents are signed, but if they give the green light consider it done.
I know of no research correlating the price offered and whether a buyer is a time-waster or not. Nor does my experience indicate there is a link. In 10 years I have never had a time waster bring forward the registration date or nominate a flaky conveyancer, as I can investigate the conveyancer before my seller accepts the offer.
The “no chain” claim never happens if a responsible and ethical estate agent explains the implications of buying unconditionally to both parties. A seller should sue for damages if there is no “out clause” and the sale collapses.
Good advice to sellers is use a recommended conveyancer. Make sure that the buyer has only one or two weeks to get a bond or the sale becomes null and void. Renegotiate the bond time limit only if there is a good reason. Find out if deposits have been paid on time; if not, cancel the sale and sue for damages.
Never let a buyer move into a property before the bond has been granted.
Most important, make sure there is a “Mora Clause” in the sale agreement stating that should there be any delay in transfer for which the purchaser is responsible, he pay a penalty interest at the current bond rate over and above any other monies due.
Sellers, problems sometimes arise when selling your home; don’t become paranoid, take simple precautions and beware of reading too much into the buyer’s behaviour. – Andrew Taynton, Kloof, KwaZulu-Natal