If you, like me, are black and South African you have no doubt been on the receiving end of this kind of sentiment at some point or other in your working life. Probably even more so if you’re in a senior position. Since the introduction of affirmative action in its various guises – employment equity programmes, BBBEE etc it appears blacks are automatically deemed incompetent and incapable of meritocratic progression within either the corporate or government environment.
Regardless of how hard a black man works, or how much additional effort he puts in to go the extra mile, he is always promoted only because he is black. And God forbid if you’re a successful black woman. Then your career path was surely already mapped out to board level while you were still in the womb. Even your first-class post-graduate education and months of toil with 16 hour days as an associate are merely outlier data points to the root cause of your rapid climb up the career ladder: your deep, dark blackness.
I’m not saying that affirmative action as it exists in South Africa is fair – and I stand firmly against the attitude that the current ‘blacks only’ recruitment policies serve as just payback for years of discrimination in South Africa. But the attitude of many non-blacks in South Africa that blacks in the workplace are incompetent until proven otherwise is both pathetic and racist. Possibly the only thing more pathetic and racist are the “yes-men” blacks that hide behind nominal executive positions, further reaffirming this stereotype many of us are legitimately trying so hard to destroy.
This is the 2nd in the BBBEE series of cartoons on affirmative action related subjects in South Africa. The first began with the Barack Obama is an affirmative action appointment cartoon a couple of days back. Stay tuned for BBBEE/ affirmative action cartoons and commentary from a variety of racial perspectives coming over the next few days.
Be sure to leave your thoughts and comments below!
(14 raters, Click a star a star to rate this article)
Loading...
.
Sad but true. I try to keep an open mind, but AA and BEE aren’t doing competent, hard working, intelligent and ambitious black people (and there are lots) any favours in the respect department.
The fact that we as blacks are incompetent is pathetic racial and does not exist in this cuntury of 21. We are hard workers no need to be proven in the work place. A first class post graduate, wow is hughly recomended the best person and is full of knowledge, skilld.
The stereotype of black incompetence is hard to get away from when you see how infrastructure is crumbling all around us. Municipalities are being plundered to the extent that many of them cannot/do not even pay their Eskom electricity account.
Its only natural for the whites of this country to have that sentiment and the government only have themselves and their idiotic affimative action /bbbee policies to blame for that
OBAMA – BEEEEEEEE – RACISM – BLAH BLAH
As a changing society, in this country we have those issues about racism etc. because we come from many years of OFFICIAL RACIST culture. Official – because it was perpetrated by the ruling party and their croonies.
What we have today is a government that is led by a party that was specifically formed to fight racism – starting with official racism. That has been removed from the statute books of this, the beloved country of ours.
But that DOES NOT MEAN RACISM IS DEAD – NO!
Racism is was entrenched in some cultures and it will take hard efforts to remove it.
Yes, concepts that become culture get entrenched after repeated indoctrination excercises.
Two little examples… During the pre-colonial era in Lesotho, conquering other nations and taking their live stock and women and children as loot was NORMAL. It continued even when we had European settlers among us – and it led to cultural conflicts. Europeans called it THEFT. Basotho called it HO HAPA. Which means, to WIN or to CAPTURE. Even Motlotlehi Moshoeshoe I used to practise this. This is how he got the name Moshoeshoe. Will explain that under another topic.
During Isilo uShaka’s time the same happened, but their emphasis was on HOW TO FIGHT. Sharpening the methods and skills and strategies of war. That has remained in the cultural system of the Zulu people – up to today.
The Europeans have been doing EXACTLY THE SAME … but they were taking 1) LAND 2) DESTROYING CULTURE of the targeted people. Weakening their structures and running their affairs.
These tactics are still entrenched in the minds of the European decendants. Look at Iraq. Look at Afghanistan. Look at the whole of Africa. When Thabo Mbeki was engaging the DRC factions in that country’s the French Prime Minister was not amused. He even said Mbeki does not understand the situation there better. Why? Because Mbeki wa disturbing the Frech INTERESTS in DRC…Minerals.
In South Africa, Mbeki used Nkosazana Zuma as Minister of Health. Our Media told us how bad she was. When she left that department, she became good. Then came Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, and she also became “bad”. Very “bad”. Now she is gone. No one worries about where she is and what she does.
The sale of pharmaceutical money-spinners is not threatened.
But, the two ladies and Mbeki became the FOCUS OF MEDIA IN SOUTH AFRICA. All the cartoons we depicting their “STUPIDITY” in whatever they say and whatever they do.
Why?… Because the Media is the MEDIUM OF WARFARE in the mordern world. The media is being potrayed as a DEMOCRATIC WATCH-DOG. But it is a dog that bites both ways. It is used to win fights…not only to guard the owner. Hence the OBAMA EMPOWERMENT and the Zuma, Malema, Shilowa, Lekota, Pikoli cartoons. You hardly see, a Leon, Bush, Hogan, Zille cartoon. You hardly see those. It is A LUTA CONTINUA. It is all about power and ownership of tools of power.
So, Black People must NOT EXPECT TO BE SPARED!! PHAMBILI NGOMZABALAZO, PHAMBILI.
Affirmative action is a racist policy full stop
Ntjana;you are absolutely rigth,racism is not gone it has just been turned around that white people are now the underdogs.Just look around you and see how whites are being treated now just because of some or most blacks feel like showing off power,”we’ll show you now” kind of attitude.The problem will persist until there are no more talking of colour difference,no more talking off white and black even if the fact will remain that there will always be differrent cultures.
“Luks” is not a very good example of a “hughly recomended skilld” black if you as me. If you can’t spell even the basics correctly why would anyone want to risk being examined by this person should he/she be a doctor, or have his tax assessment done by him/her should he/she be an accountant, or represent you if he/she happens to be a lawyer who has to submit written argument to the courts. God forbid he/she is in charge of building a high-rise building, how do you know you can trust the figures of this “skilld” person?
Me, I don’t give a toss if you are black, if you have a better degree or education than I have, then good luck to you and I hope you achieve everything you set your sights on because you are well educated (and you are well educated because you had the ambition and the determination and the desire to achieve more than others did, including many whites who would rather bitch and moan about AA and blame their pathetic existence on that) so why would I as a white person begrudge you your position in life if you came by it honestly and with integrity.
My only negative feeling where AA is concerned is the fact that this is a young democracy and many of the people applying for positions do not have the life experience it takes to gain the skills certain positions require where the safety of others could be a factor with a newly qualified person being employed in a position where he/she has not yet gained the necessary experience and is employed purely from an AA perspective. I couldn’t care less if you are a newly qualified librarian who applies for the highest job in the land and gets it because you are black. You can’t endanger anyone’s life really working in a library, but becoming the Chief Medical Officer of a Trauma center after only being qualified for 2 years when there were other candidates better qualified experience wise smacks of incompetence all round. People can die! (Coloureds and Asians are just as much discriminated against in favour of blacks when it comes to AA appointments)
So let’s all get off our judgmental high horses, give people the time to gain the necessary life skills and experience and then let them have the Utopia they are aiming for! They waited for it long enough.
And if Luks did write this tongue in cheek then I still stand by my comments.