Racial quotas in South Africa: A path to equity or a source of division?

THE recent pronouncements by Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie that coloureds, whites and Indians would be given preference for jobs in his department has again reignited a 30-year-old debate on the use of racial quotas in employment.

Initially, it was correctly intended as a means to ensure racial representation, especially in sectors where, as a result of historical injustices, there has been deliberate and systematic exclusion of the disenfranchised. The situation has now come full circle where people regarding themselves as minorities believe they are facing unjust discrimination mainly because of the simplistic conflation of racial quotas with the complex concept of transformation.

After 1994, all progressive South Africans were of the view that the inequalities generated by the systematic, legalised racism of apartheid needed to be addressed. There was no doubt in the minds of those committed to a new dispensation based on human rights in a non-racial democracy that mechanisms of social redress were essential, so as not to perpetuate social class inequalities, largely racial, in our “free-market”, one person-one vote polity.

From the beginning however, the right-wing declared affirmative action policies and programmes to be racist without reflecting on the ironic extent to which Afrikanerdom achieved dominance through its own affirmative action policies beginning in the 1920s with policy initiatives to tackle the “poor white problem” in South Africa.

These policies entrenched white power and wealth, which continues until today.

Since the reintroduction of “progressive” race quotas post 1994, however, very little has changed. A black political and economic elite has emerged as the real beneficiaries of the so-called “transformation” project and there is very little evidence to show that the majority of black citizens have benefitted.

Inequality has risen, unemployment is off the charts, criminality has become a norm, corruption is endemic and racial resentment seems to signal a dismal failure of the much-sought after nation-building project so critical to the noble (but jettisoned) quest for reconstruction and development. The apparent failure of the transformation project in South Africa has resulted in a Government of National Unity led by the ANC and the DA both parties having similar outlooks on macro-economic strategy.

Fundamentally, they believe that economic development should be led by the private sector and that privatisation, lower corporate tax, cuts in social spending, removal of tariffs, duties and protectionism for local industries, corporatism to avoid industrial actions, and deregulation of labour all create conditions for high profitability, increased investment and economic growth.

The results of such an approach, with its band-aid racial employment quotas, have been the failure of state-owned entities, malfeasance, capital flight, jobless growth when it did occur, and a re-racialisation of the job market contributing to the emergence of the Gayton McKenzie's of South African politics.

The point here is that the imposition of racial quotas in the absence of truly transformational, equity-producing policies is bound to fail; but more perniciously, is dangerous in a volatile, racialised society where people see and identify themselves as members of particular race groups. The use of racial quotas in job allocation and business contracts cannot be regarded as true transformation leading to racial equity. It will lead to more conflict, suspicion and resentment.

Racial quotas in employment and business contracts in the last three decades have led to greater representation, but they do not necessarily address the underlying economic disparities, such as intergenerational poverty, unequal access to quality education and healthcare, or skills gaps. Without addressing these foundational issues, quotas will not lead to sustainable transformation. It has also been argued by conservatives that racial quotas have led to unacceptable declines in the standards of service delivery - although the racial nature of the argument is questionable in the context of cadre deployment, one cannot deny that calling a government department for assistance of any kind has become a nightmare for ordinary citizens.

If people are appointed based on quotas but lack the necessary education, expertise, skills or experience, this will reinforce stereotypes and lead to resentment. And numerous shocking cases in both the public and private sectors have come to the fore where no appointments are made because the top three candidates interviewed and assessed have been white or Indian.

So, what is needed in South Africa for true social cohesion and to make the Constitution a living document? True racial equity involves creating an environment where individuals from all racial groups have equal access to opportunities, resources, and social mobility. To achieve this, transformative policies and macroeconomic strategies, programmes and projects need to go beyond quotas and tackle broader systemic challenges.

Priorities include universal access to quality education, job creation and economic growth that impact positively on marginalised communities, a diplomatic and comprehensive approach to wealth redistribution and access to capital for black entrepreneurs. Importantly, it must include punitive consequence management, and a comprehensive approach that includes wealth redistribution and access to capital for black entrepreneurs.

A focus on class, gender, and geography is just as important as race in addressing inequality. While racial quotas are an important mechanism for promoting racial equity in the short term, especially in terms of representation and addressing historical exclusion, it is not a comprehensive solution to achieving true racial equity.

Professor Dasarath Chetty is a renowned activist, international speaker and researcher and is currently a Visiting Professor at Universities in Germany, Malaysia and India.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media. 

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