Schooling is the key to that child’s future and is also the key to our country’s future. It doesn’t matter what colour, creed or race they might be, but it does matter that we ensure they have adequate and appropriate schooling and training.
I have been in the practice of labour law since 1982, and I can testify to the fact that a “fit for purpose” person is the one that is going to not only get the job but also rise in the ranks of the employer.
There certainly was an odious practice of job reservation for whites, and it is fully understood that there should be preference given to those of the previously disadvantaged if they are fit for purpose.
This practice will eventually reflect the demographics of the country by definition. However, those children who are condemned to inferior education and training will suffer.
This condemnation has condemned these children to a life of poverty and no jobs. It would be a simple task to put a competent Minister of Education along with a competent Minister of Employment and Labour in the same room to get them both to understand what the business community needs over the next ten years.
These needs can easily be outlined by the various industry representatives and the Chambers of Commerce. I specifically outline the word “competent” because our current batch of Ministers need to be changed as soon as after the election next year.
The new Ministers will first find out what is needed and will thereafter have a look at the legislation and the regulations as to what needs changing so as to not stand in the way of job creation. It was music to my ears a few years back when our previous Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni, suddenly had a revelation.
He called for government help to the small business community. He specifically said small businesses must be uncoupled from big business and that government must deregulate as much as possible, enabling small businesses to breathe and possibly grow. My excitement and delight did not last long.
The very next day, the trade union movement shouted the idea down, and they were able to bully the government to effectively silence Tito Mboweni. Unfortunately, Tito did not see his way clear to continue much longer and went off into the wilderness to enjoy some well-deserved peace and solitude.
It might be worthwhile for our new government to at least consult with Tito to get some benefit from his wisdom. He was, after all, a Minister of Labour as well.
We are all together on Ship South Africa, and it is sinking. We need to plug the leaks as quickly as possible and then spend the next few years bailing out all the rotten eggs, especially those who have been appointed into positions of higher incompetence.
There are millions of South Africans who yearn for the day of a competent government that will not steal and will at least serve the people in the fashion that they deserve. It clearly can’t be the same sorry lot.
When you speak to people in your every day life, you will find that the biggest issue is actually not electricity. That is but one of the symptoms that have almost destroyed our lives. The real issue is unemployment.
The polls tell us that 65% of South Africans see that as the real problem. They are right. Unemployment leads to every other social ill that we are experiencing in our society.
When you look around you, it is very difficult to explain to an outsider why unemployment is so high. We have good people who all want to work. We have the resources to provide that work. The business community is resourceful itself.
All we need is a government that works together with the people who desperately need jobs and a government that works together with those that are providing the jobs. It sounds simple, but we have spent thirty years breaking down those relationships.
* Michael Bagraim.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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