Cadre development is akin to job reservation, and has failed SA

For the past 23 years, the governing party and its alliance partners have been shouting relevant slogans and catch phrases, but have failed to fundamentally transform the economy.

The latest slogan and catch phrase is “radical economic transformation”, but the poor majority have nothing substantive to show in terms of economic transformation.

TheANC has had the required majority at municipal, provincial and national levels to implement fundamental economic changes that they required, but failed to use their majority for the greater benefit of ordinary people.

With youth unemployment at 38.6%, it is quite clear that the black economic empowerment and cadre deployment strategies have failed.

The people who are reaping the fruits of the Kempton Park settlement, black economic empowerment and cadre deployment are in the main the ruling elite and their associates, tiny black economic empowerment beneficiaries, members of parliament and the middle class. The majority of our people are still excluded.

I believe that for any radical economic transformation to be realised, apartheid-style job reservation policies such as cadre deployment must be scrapped.

Economic transformation requires black people with exceptional leadership qualities, skills, knowledge, qualifications, training and extensive experience at all levels.

Lately, our collective failure as black people to take over economic power is being diverted by the deafening noise about the so-called white monopoly capital.

Why are we not paying attention to how we have been failed by our own black people and the government? It is quite clear that political patronage and rewarding cadres is not working.

Lesego Sechaba Mogotsi Tshwane