 |
| ideate.co.za |
Jhb - The Supreme Court of Appeal ruled it was within someone's right to give bursaries to only white students, according to a report on Saturday.
The ruling came after Daphne de Villiers from Stellenbosch in her last will and testament determined that the trustees of the Jean Pierre de Villiers Trust, which she created, must allocate R250 000 yearly to white students at four universities for certain degrees, Beeld reported.
The ruling came after Daphne de Villiers from Stellenbosch in her last will and testament determined that the trustees of the Jean Pierre de Villiers Trust, which she created, must allocate R250 000 yearly to white students at four universities for certain degrees, Beeld reported.
This got me thinking about how the issue of race is still very sensitive in South Africa. Which also reminds me about the misunderstandings around Black Economic Empowerment (BEE). A lot of people don't understand what BEE really is and how it necessary in the times we live in.
To many, BEE seems like a way of the democratic government to bring back apartheid in a different version. Most recently, a friend of mine who's white couldn't get a job at a certain company because it is linked to BEE.
I believe that it is actually the confusion or misunderstanding around what BEE really is that's contributing to the lack of unity, tolerance and acceptance of one another amongst South Africans of different races.
The need for effective communication on Black Economic Empowerment.
BEE is a very serious and controversial issue and this is mainly because many people aren't aware as to what it's purpose is. Therefore government shouldn't turn a blind eye on the confusion that's held by some members of the public.
- An enhanced communication strategy should be put embarked on to ensure that all South Africans understand why BEE is necessary and how it really works.
- The communication strategy should also be designed in such a way that it can be understood by all members of the public regardless of their education level and other factors.
- Just as there're campaigns on road safety, alcohol usage and community safety, there should also be a campaign whose primary objective is to educate the public on how BEE works, who benefits and why. This will help create a mutual understanding between government and its stakeholders.
Read more on: News24
I believe that in order for our society to reach a new level of prosperity we need to move past recognising race as avidly as we do. It is one of the things still keeping us from being an intergrated society that works together as opposed to working in segments.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, race is indeed still a challenge to be tacled. If not so, we won't make any progress.
DeleteApartheid will always hang over our heads.
ReplyDeleteBut we can avoid that sitation if we open the floor for more critical discussion without hiding our true thoughts and emotions as a country.
DeleteTo face the reality the majority of disadvantaged people are African, it make sense to allocate certain thing for them only. But if a certain race does that, is totally a different chapter - we should not look at this on races side but who are suffering most in order to create balance in the economy.
ReplyDeleteYou've got a point, I'm just worried that there're people who don't see i from this perspective.
Deletethis is why we as South South Africans are not making a really improvement because of sucg issues race which i think that we don't live a unity but we keep on embracing the fact that we are united while we not
ReplyDeleteThe real issue is that we don't have a real conversatiojn with each other as a nation, we need a platform to talk about the past before moving into the future.
DeleteAfricans were never given same opportunities as other races hense some things are allocated for them, so they can also grow and be equal with other races. Some people will always carry racesim within themselves.That is wrong.
ReplyDeleteTo a certain extent that is very true, our government needs to take notice of those who lack undestanding about what BEE really is and how important it is to South Africa - it needs to be explain clearly to all.
DeleteIt got me thinking that it might seem like that to some people and race will always play a very big frustrating role in our lives. Whoever started instilling this stigma of race within us did a very good job and has turned the world into a chaos
ReplyDeleteAnd to add o that, I say tha if human beings instilled such attitudes in us, then we as human beings can also free ourselves if we choose to.
Deleteon the matter about the court ruling i agree with the outcome as it gives south african individuals the right to distribute thier wealth in what ever manner they choose. the woman must have feared the future for white students thinking fairness will not be bestowed apon them in regards to BEE.guess we may never know fully her motives and reasons to do so. we as a nation and as PRP we can provide more clarity on the fundamentals and frameworks which encompass BEE. healing of a nation starts only when the is total understanding from both parties. lets utilize the gifts and skills we have learnt at varsity to better our country
ReplyDelete