LETTER: The folly of quotas and cadre deployment

If a political party has the majority to run a government at national, provincial or local level, surely it would want to impress voters by ensuring that these administrations are run efficiently.

The policy of cadre deployment might help to improve the financial lot of a select few for a limited period. But even the ANC must realise that numerous officials have had to be replaced because of a lack of competent service, or even because of fraudulent qualifications. Does the party not realise that the failure of just about every state-owned enterprise can be directly ascribed to inefficient and failed management?

While cadre deployees might be financially better off thanks to their appointments, more than 40% of the population is unemployed and more than 19-million are already in one way or another recipients of a government grant. Then there are those who cater for themselves in the face of poor administration. They are certainly not impressed — especially with most local authorities.

In less than 12 months there is likely to be a general election. It is too late for the ANC to bring about credible changes. Even the Employment Equity Amendment Act merely proves that the ANC has not yet realised its folly and persists in legislating for the continuation of a policy favouring racial quotas above nonracial (and politically neutral) competence.  

The party is not satisfied to control employment in state departments — it now also insists on legislating racial quotas in private enterprise. What folly.

VA Volker
Pietermaritzburg

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