Professor Dasarath Chetty’s consideration of the issue of racial quotas is a sad commentary on the extent to which the narrative has strayed from and contradicts the constitution (POST, March 19-23).
Nowhere in the constitution is there any reference to racial quotas. Section 1(b) of Chapter 1 states unambiguously that “non-racialism is a founding value.” Section 9, (3) outlaws discrimination on the basis of race, gender, disability, religion. The Preamble exhorts the building of a “united” country.
The contradictions of those precepts are glaringly obvious in the existence of 142 legal and regulatory references to race on how we are governed. They and BEE make a mockery of the constitution’s commitment to non-racialism.
Of course, the standard response in justifying race-based legislation is that it is necessary for “transformation” and to level the playing fields. But where is the logic in applying racial measures to counter a racial dispensation that existed in the first place?
Further distorting the constitution’s commitment to non-racialism is woke theory called equity. This is a social engineering tool which seeks to populate posts based on representivity. It shuns merit while standardising mediocrity.
It favours allocating posts to those who otherwise would not qualify. It discounts the barriers of competence that would otherwise prevent a person from qualifying for a position. Equity disregards the Peter Principle in elevating people to positions beyond their competence. Thus, it discriminates against those who deserve elevation in terms of merit.
Racial quotas, cadre deployment and now equity are responsible for the costly shambles that prevails widely in what passes for government. As Professor Chetty states, “one cannot deny that calling a government department for assistance of any kind has become a nightmare for ordinary citizens.”
Sadly, the fruits of racial quotas have manifested themselves starkly on the cricket field. Cricket South Africa (CSA) imposes a strict quota based on colour – not merit. A minimum of six players in a team must be non-white and of those three must be black.
Thanks to the CSA, baasskap is now more rigidly entrenched than was ever the case under apartheid. This was blatantly evident in its recent treatment of the Warriors team. Despite thrashing the Dolphins team and earning five points, the CSA stripped the Warriors of their victory and their five points because they fielded only two black players and had too many coloureds in the side. Moreover, the Warriors were fined R500,000 and now face relegation to the second division.
Once respected opponents in the cricket world, thanks to obsession with racial quotas South Africa is now a minnow in international cricket. The sport pages have become tainted with political ideology. The significance of the appeal in the 1970s to “keep politics out of sport” has been ignored.
The answer to the question posed in the heading to Professor Chetty’s article whether racial quotas were a source of division should be obvious. Nonetheless, this unfortunate situation could be changed if the term “non-racialism” in section 1 (b) of the constitution was replaced by the word “merit.” That is the cure for racial division which will build a united country.
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