Don’t let ‘black apartheid’ take root, warns Venaani

GOVERNMENT should commit itself to a timeframe for reaching its affirmative-action targets, the DTA’s McHenry Venaani said in the National Assembly yesterday.

Venaani said the same should apply to Government’s land-reform programme. “The policy cannot operate in infinity.If it does, it might be seriously discriminating against others forever and history would judge us as implementers of the same revenge policy our masters of earlier days have done,” Venaani said of Government’s affirmative action policy.”We should, for example, commit ourselves to 35 years or whatever framework to be able to implement this policy and then open the field for fair and just competition,” said Venaani.Speaking on a motion of the Congress of Democrats that the National Assembly discuss the current state of affairs of affirmative action in the public and private sectors, Venaani charged that South African conglomerates appointed black chief executive officers in Namibia, but gave them no decision-making powers.Venaani also criticised Government for failing to say how many farms it wanted to see in the hands of black people and by which year.”Thus we sent a blank-cheque perception to those who hold on to land in fear and desperation.We lack criteria as to which farms would be expropriated and who should release their land for affirmative-action schemes or resettlement,” said Venaani.Venaani further bemoaned a situation in which he alleged that the managing directors of parastatals belonged to one ethnic group and said Government stood to be accused of “black apartheid”.He said while the finger was being pointed at the private sector for not complying with affirmative-action regulations, the public service was not setting much of an example.”While we attempt to address the imbalances of the past, we should not downplay some of the diversity that exists in our country.Our Government fails to make deliberate efforts and policies, if need be, to address ethnic representation at the running of the senior level of the public service and parastatals,” Venaani said.Swapo MP Jeremiah Nambinga agreed that Government had to act to see its affirmative-action policy deliver the intended results, because it had not yielded what Government intended at Independence.He said the Employment Equity Commissioner was clearly frustrated by the lack of compliance by employers with affirmative-action requirements and that nothing was being done to bring them to book.Nambinga said the only way Government’s affirmative-action intentions would be carried forward was for the situation to be reviewed by a Parliamentary Standing Committee.”The policy cannot operate in infinity.If it does, it might be seriously discriminating against others forever and history would judge us as implementers of the same revenge policy our masters of earlier days have done,” Venaani said of Government’s affirmative action policy.”We should, for example, commit ourselves to 35 years or whatever framework to be able to implement this policy and then open the field for fair and just competition,” said Venaani.Speaking on a motion of the Congress of Democrats that the National Assembly discuss the current state of affairs of affirmative action in the public and private sectors, Venaani charged that South African conglomerates appointed black chief executive officers in Namibia, but gave them no decision-making powers.Venaani also criticised Government for failing to say how many farms it wanted to see in the hands of black people and by which year.”Thus we sent a blank-cheque perception to those who hold on to land in fear and desperation.We lack criteria as to which farms would be expropriated and who should release their land for affirmative-action schemes or resettlement,” said Venaani.Venaani further bemoaned a situation in which he alleged that the managing directors of parastatals belonged to one ethnic group and said Government stood to be accused of “black apartheid”.He said while the finger was being pointed at the private sector for not complying with affirmative-action regulations, the public service was not setting much of an example.”While we attempt to address the imbalances of the past, we should not downplay some of the diversity that exists in our country.Our Government fails to make deliberate efforts and policies, if need be, to address ethnic representation at the running of the senior level of the public service and parastatals,” Venaani said.Swapo MP Jeremiah Nambinga agreed that Government had to act to see its affirmative-action policy deliver the intended results, because it had not yielded what Government intended at Independence.He said the Employment Equity Commissioner was clearly frustrated by the lack of compliance by employers with affirmative-action requirements and that nothing was being done to bring them to book.Nambinga said the only way Government’s affirmative-action intentions would be carried forward was for the situation to be reviewed by a Parliamentary Standing Committee.