BEE negatively perceived as a new version of apartheid!

 

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.

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

The controversial e-tolls AKA "e-thief" gets the go ahead from the court in Gauteng



THE BIG DEBATE: Members of the public still don't agree with SANRAL's e-tolls. Photo: thenewage.co.za




As Anna Cox and Brendan of The Star write... "Does the government have the wherewithal to handle civil disobedience threatened by 2 million disgruntled motorists?"

Wayne Duvenhage, Chairman of Outa says laws and policies are no good unless they are enforced, and with such huge public opposition, the government will find it logistically and practically difficult to enforce the tolls.

Government could struggle to manage the large numbers of disgruntled motorists.

Here are some of the challenges that government could face from motorists:

1. The Constitutional Court case to be heard in November - motorists might not buy e-tags as ther're still some pending decisions regading e-tolls.

2. The absence of disobedience from motorists will be a huge challenge for the government to overcome;

3. If the public could stand together against e-tolls by not registering for e-tags, ignoring tolling costs and consequent fines;



Cosatu warned the government not to “even think” about implementing e-tolls until consultations were done, and threatened mass action should they be implemented.

Possible solutions for the contoversial e-tolls

1. Clearly there's a communication breakdown between government and the public, so communication should be enhanced so that the public will have a mutual understanding about the e-tolls;

2. Government should be willing to listen to the public's opinions and implement the e-tolls system in a mutually understood way, not only in favour of government;

3. There should be maximum transparency regarding e-tolls so that the all members of the public can understand exactly why there's a need for e-tolls.

These are only a few of many things which I think government shouldn't take for granted as they the potential to cause instability in SA.

Julius Malema's strategic political come-back plan is in place

THE UNANTICIPATED POLITICAL COME-BACK STRATEGY: Former ANCYL president Mr Julius Malema is surrounded and praised by hundreds of Marikana miners and residents during a march against minimal wages. Photo: BBC News Africa.

I couldn't ignore the fact that Marikana Massacre continues to make headlines in the social, electronic and print media every single day.

This time I would like to discuss how the expelled ANCYL president Mr Julius Malema saw a political recuperation opportunity in the tragic massacre

So, where is Public relations in all this?

Persuasive communication happens when a communicator succeeds in voluntarily forming, changing or modifying the attitudes of an audience though the presentation of his/her message.

Malema uses persuasive techniques to steer the miners in his desired direction; and he has managed to convince the miners that he is on their side far as their grievances are concerned.

• Audience analysis in PR is a fundamental element which suggests that  a communicator has to know the needs of his/her audience before addressing them. Malema has succeeded in this regard because he is pushing for the miners' R12 500 salary increase - an indication to the miners that he's indeed on their side.

• Appealing to the emotional state of a communicator's audience is also a very significant technique to use to achieve one's objectives. Malema's strategic plan couldn't have come at a better time than now when miners are still grieving over the passing of their colleagues. They will not stop until they get what they want considering the pain they've been subjected to.

• Last but not least,the credibility, trustworthiness and reputation of a communicator plays an important role in persuading the audience. As far as ethos is concerned, Malema is known for advocating for mines to be nationalized in SA, this is working in his favour at the moment because the miners will be easily persuaded as they know that he is a person who has always been concerned about the activities within the South African mining industry.

Read more from: BBC News Africa