Vehicle clearance chaos: AA gone wrong

Few issues facing post-1994 South Africa that have been so unquestionably right from a moral perspective have proved to be so problematic to implement as the pursuit of employment equity through the process of affirmative action.

All too often the hurried pursuit of politically correct figures has led to the critical necessity for training and skills development as the precursor for affirmative action to be ignored or overlooked, resulting in people being appointed to posts for which they are often ill-equipped.

On the one hand, this is insulting to those placed in such positions for it amounts to appointment on the basis of colour rather than competency; on the other it often results in a lowering of the levels of efficiency or to a form of equally insulting fronting, in which the person with the title is shadowed by another with the ability and experience to perform the required tasks.

It is against that background that the situation at the Sidwell vehicle clearance station needs to be seen, where it has been acknowledged that those employed had received insufficient training to detect whether a vehicle’s chassis and engine numbers had been tampered with, resulting in stolen cars being registered by their new owners.

In such a situation, there are no winners.

To some extent government is to blame for the current situation as it set targets for employment equity before it had the mechanisms in place to ensure it was properly supported by training and skills transfer. Affirmative action became an end in itself rather than a programme that served to advance the careers of previously disadvantaged people who had, or had acquired, the relevant skills.

A skills development programme is now in place that will assist considerably with addressing the problem. With it comes the daunting task of providing people appointed without the requisite qualifications with the necessary skills and expertise.

Look after our precious elderly

CITIZENS of the metro will be justifiably proud to note that their region is among few areas in the country that most elderly people find it a pleasure to live in, as our story elsewhere in this paper today shows.

But more evidence of the attractive living conditions for the elderly of our society in our area is to be found in their continued participation in various activities where some still excel despite their advanced age.

A living example of this is Nerina McAll (featured in our front page yesterday), who at 88 years young, recently participated in a national swimming championship and collected nine medals, including two golds.

Not only did she outperform most people of her golden age group, but the championship actually also gave clear recognition for being the oldest in her age group. The point is, the metro is fast developing into a major economic hub and the process could easily lead to those in our society who are weak, specifically the elderly, being shunted to the side, be it in supermarkets aisles or even on the road.

So far, the metro has resisted the tendency to ignore its elderly and has, to the greatest extent possible, shown admiration and respect to them, thereby making it easy for them to live comfortably in the region.

We dare not forgo that good and commendable behaviour. Instead, we should do more to make our elderly welcome.

Congratulations, Nerina McAll. We are all very proud of you.