The articulation of the affirmative-action programme in South Africa as a ”jobs-for-pals” scheme by the ruling African National Congress is doing ”immeasurable damage” to the South African economy, Independent Democrats (ID) leader Patricia de Lille has argued.
She was responding to former University of Cape Town vice-chancellor and former World Bank director Mamphela Ramphele’s comments that mistakes were being made in the implementation of employment equity in the country.
De Lille said her party’s position was that ”we support affirmative action … but we have a fundamental problem with the way the ANC has implemented the policy”.
It had simply replaced white faces with black faces, she said.
”The jobs-for-pals programme of the ANC, where party cronies are rewarded for political allegiance, has also done immeasurable damage as we continue to grapple with the apartheid legacy of blacks being excluded from the economy,” said De Lille, who leads a team of five in the National Assembly.
”Simply put, the [official opposition] Democratic Alliance is against transformation. The Independent Democrats stands for transformation, with excellence.
”Nearly 13 years after our country’s first democratic elections, the reality is that the top management in most companies is still [made up of] white males. Just as worrying is the trend in companies to window dress, but without transferring skills to black managers.
”What then happens is that white consultants are brought in, thereby circumventing the objectives of true transformation. This is also a reality in our government departments across all levels.”
The gaping hole between the school curriculum and what was required in a globally challenging work environment continues to grow in South Africa. ”There are a growing amount of our young people who have degree qualifications but are not suited to the job market and industries required in terms of the global economy. This must be addressed urgently.”
De Lille said: ”The ID agrees with Dr Ramphele that South Africans need to position themselves to harness the rapid movement of ideas, innovation, people, goods, services and financial resources across borders driven by revolutionary changes in information and communication technologies.
”The ID wishes to remind the ANC government that affirmative action was never about handing out a job to an incompetent person, simply on the basis of their skin colour. This jobs-for-pals programme is severely undermining our ability to recruit and retain the best from all race groups in this country.” – I-Net Bridge