Do you think that this Affirmative action is just reversed apartheid/racism against the whites?

Answer 1

Yes I think it is. If you are a white man, you have no chance to get a job. They will choose someone because of their colour and not their qualifications.

Answer 2

I am South African myself. I think the original intentions are well-meaning. Previously disadvantaged people, and this include women in general too, have to be given a fair chance to get ahead. However, it becomes racism when someone is given a job or preference based on his/her skin tone and not their qualifications. I feel very sorry for white people who are extremely well-qualified and don't get the position they deserve because the person who got it is not nearly as qualified as they are.

The government should focus on education and job creation. Apartheid ended approximately 12 years ago and the government has had ample time to correct the imbalances in the system. Instead, they continue to blame the legacy of apartheid. Fair, but I think the government has done too little with the resources available. The true answer to imbalances is not really affirmative action, it is a good education and opportunities for all.
What really upsets me is how they award scholarships for postgraduate study for instance. The students applying now for scholarships were small children in apartheid, and those going to university now as undergraduates have been in first grade after apartheid, so why are there still discrimination? There are no more "previously disadvantaged". The government should have addressed any disparities between black and white schools over the years.

Affirmative action was good initially but no is just a lame excuse to lean on and is therefore overused and misused to the detriment of this country. If the person is not qualified then the job should not be given. Plain and simple.

Answer 3

That is a bit simplistic although the ANC have put racist policies into legislation. Affirmative Action is supposed to be an interim intervention to correct imbalances and not a policy for evermore. The term " previously disadvantaged" has been widely abused in South Africa and a little research will reveal a number of reasons why Blacks may have been previously disadvantaged. The ANC slogan in the 70's of " Liberation before Education" saw schools being wrecked and burned to the ground and they were in many respects the architects of their own disadvantages. Also remember the ANC's unchanged position is to drive all Whites out of South Africa characterised by the statement of a Senior ANC politician a few years ago " When Mandela dies we will kill you Whites like flies." Well they haven't waited and the organised genocide and ethnic cleansing is in full effect.
You cannot compare AA in the UK to that in South Africa for a very simple reason. The UK is a modern Western Democracy whereas South Africa is run by a gang of communist criminals masquerading as a legitimate Government. There is also a huge disparity in civilisation and intellect between the two.
Whites are being discriminated against in South Africa but Affirmative Action and Black Economic Empowerment are merely disguises for racial hatred.

Answer 4

Affirmative action...like equal opportunities in the UK can be discriminatory if it is not properly understood and applied.

If I may use an example from my workplace. Statistically there are fewer black managers than there should be either by percentage of population or by percentage in employment.

In order to address the issue, the Council could not merely appoint more black managers because that would be discrimination and they would have been prosecuted.
Instead under the equal opportunities policy they organised additional management training for black workers so as to redress the balance as regards people having a more equal opportunity to become a manager if they wish.

Incidentally, the same programme was run for people with disabilities because the same conditions applied to them as well.

This is the proper application...to redress an imbalance. The wrong way to use such ideas is to replace one discriminatory practice with another!!!!

Answer 5

I wouldn't say it has reversed apartheid, but it is definitely discrimination, look at how many skilled professionals have and are leaving the country because they cannot find employment. The government is also cutting off it's nose to spite it's face, it is loosing thousands of people that could greatly assist in developing the country. Eskom is also a prime example of what goes wrong when under qualified people are put in positions they cannot handle.

Answer 6

everybody should have the equal rights for employment and education more times than not that right is abused and alternative actions must be sanctioned. wish i was on the affirmative action books. i've been denied work because of my religion.

Answer 7

No