Thursday, September 12, 2013
Affirmative Action. Black Economic Empowerment. Transformation.
Just writing those words make me tired. In the New SA, few topics can get people as worked up as Heyneke Meyer during a Springbok game like these terms can.
It’s discriminatory. It doesn’t work. Or my favourite: it is “reverse Apartheid.” Sigh, we are quick to forget our awful past.
But one thing is for sure: whether you wear your ANC allegiance proudly on your 100% Zuma shirt, declare your support to the DA with a glass of Chardonnay (lightly wooded) in your hand, or even shout from your youth hostel’s roof that you will serve the EFF till death (or until you get a real job and realise what a burden economic freedom will be on the country) we all want to know: does transformation work? Has 20 years been long enough to right the wrongs from the past?
According to the South African Institute for Race Relations (SAIRR), it does. Sort of. The SAIRR published their September Fast Facts entitled “Education, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Growth: the three E’s of real empowerment“.
The data gives the notion that transformation in South Africa has failed a moerse klap, similar to what old Heyneke does to the desk in his coaching booth.
I quote the SAIRR’s findings:
- In 1994 there were on average 4.9 black-African people who were not working and thus dependent on every single black-African person who was employed. This figure has fallen to 3.3 in 2013.
- The number of black-African people in employment has doubled since 1994, contrary to the view that South Africa has experienced jobless growth.
- The proportion of black people (black-African, coloured, and Indian) in top management jobs has almost doubled since 2000, from 13% to 24%.
- The proportion of judges who are black has increased from 25% to 62% since 2000.
- In current prices, average individual monthly earnings from employment of black-Africans have increased by 90% since 2006, while white earnings have increased by 33%.
- In 1991 black-Africans received 21% of university and university of technology degrees and this figure had increased to 53% by 2011.
Does this mean 20 years have been enough to right the wrongs from the past? Hell no.
I find it interesting that, according to this report white people on average earn four times from employment than their black counterparts.
The level of “relative poverty” for blacks sits at 42%. For me and my fellow whiteys it sits at 1%. Ouch.
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