Podewitz disagrees with call to abolish affirmative action
Employment Equity Commissioner Otniel Podewitz has dismissed claims by the Economic Policy Research Association (EPRA) that Namibia has attained its affirmative-action goals and that the policy can now essentially be done away with.
Adopted in 1998, the Affirmative Action (Employment) Act was designed to promote the employment of persons who belong to ethnic groups which were disadvantaged due to racially discriminatory laws or practices before Namibia’s independence.
It also applies to designated groups such as women and disabled persons.
An EPRA report on affirmative action released this week said: “Namibia quite obviously surpassed the ‘targets’ for racial representation in the workforce long ago”.
According to one of EPRA’s consultants who authored the report, Eben de Klerk: “We have reached employment equity long ago”.
De Klerk, who was speaking on The Evening Review, said only 2.1% of the Namibian workforce is white.
“What else must be done? Must those whites never work again? Must they take unskilled and semi-skilled jobs or leave the country [in order for equity to be reached]?” he wanted to know.
The wrong approach
The EPRA report stated that affirmative action was being approached in the wrong way in Namibia.
“The latest approach to affirmative action and accompanying resolutions demonstrates a clear lack of understanding of what is needed to solve our real problems. There was very little consultation with the private sector, if any. Instead, far-reaching decisions that have significant impact on Namibia’s economy are taken in a data vacuum, fed by a false narrative, and imposed on all Namibians.”
The association added that efforts to enforce affirmative action also impacted Namibia’s ease-of-doing-business rankings.
“These decisions add to the cost of doing business, reduce Namibia’s competitiveness, hamper employment, reduce investment and ultimately leaves every Namibian poorer as a result. It serves no positive national purpose.”
No basis
Reacting to the claims, Podewitz said there was no basis to believe that Namibia had to abandon its empowerment equity laws.
“It is not correct. The statistics talk for themselves. There is no basis in the claim that we have attained our goals,” he said.
According to him, seeking empowerment gains was not solely driven at placing previously disadvantaged groups in favourable employment positions.
“It is not something that you can stop. Race is still an issue. We still have racist tendencies coming up at various places. You cannot tell me that we are at the point of harmony,” the commissioner said.
“It is an ongoing thing that you cannot stop, it is part of the framework of social cohesion, he added.
Podewitz further questioned EPRA’s methodology, saying empowerment metrics were too broad to measure.
“It is bigger than what they have measured. It’s not as easy as saying we have achieved empowerment gains. From where I stand, discrimination is still taking place.”
Adopted in 1998, the Affirmative Action (Employment) Act was designed to promote the employment of persons who belong to ethnic groups which were disadvantaged due to racially discriminatory laws or practices before Namibia’s independence.
It also applies to designated groups such as women and disabled persons.
An EPRA report on affirmative action released this week said: “Namibia quite obviously surpassed the ‘targets’ for racial representation in the workforce long ago”.
According to one of EPRA’s consultants who authored the report, Eben de Klerk: “We have reached employment equity long ago”.
De Klerk, who was speaking on The Evening Review, said only 2.1% of the Namibian workforce is white.
“What else must be done? Must those whites never work again? Must they take unskilled and semi-skilled jobs or leave the country [in order for equity to be reached]?” he wanted to know.
The wrong approach
The EPRA report stated that affirmative action was being approached in the wrong way in Namibia.
“The latest approach to affirmative action and accompanying resolutions demonstrates a clear lack of understanding of what is needed to solve our real problems. There was very little consultation with the private sector, if any. Instead, far-reaching decisions that have significant impact on Namibia’s economy are taken in a data vacuum, fed by a false narrative, and imposed on all Namibians.”
The association added that efforts to enforce affirmative action also impacted Namibia’s ease-of-doing-business rankings.
“These decisions add to the cost of doing business, reduce Namibia’s competitiveness, hamper employment, reduce investment and ultimately leaves every Namibian poorer as a result. It serves no positive national purpose.”
No basis
Reacting to the claims, Podewitz said there was no basis to believe that Namibia had to abandon its empowerment equity laws.
“It is not correct. The statistics talk for themselves. There is no basis in the claim that we have attained our goals,” he said.
According to him, seeking empowerment gains was not solely driven at placing previously disadvantaged groups in favourable employment positions.
“It is not something that you can stop. Race is still an issue. We still have racist tendencies coming up at various places. You cannot tell me that we are at the point of harmony,” the commissioner said.
“It is an ongoing thing that you cannot stop, it is part of the framework of social cohesion, he added.
Podewitz further questioned EPRA’s methodology, saying empowerment metrics were too broad to measure.
“It is bigger than what they have measured. It’s not as easy as saying we have achieved empowerment gains. From where I stand, discrimination is still taking place.”
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