DOCUMENTS

Dischem: This racial madness is killing the economy – FF Plus

Letter expresses blatant discrimination against white staff and applicants

Racial madness is the cancer killing the South African economy

14 October 2022

The ANC government's race-obsessed ideological madness, which leads to blatant discrimination against ordinary South Africans, is ruining economic growth, job creation and progress in the country.

This is evident in a recent letter from Dischem's chief executive officer, Mr Ivan Saltzman, to the company's senior management members in which Dischem's transformation plan is set out in no uncertain terms.

In the letter, blatant discrimination against white staff members and applicants is prescribed to comply with employment equity and Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) legislation.

Mr Saltzman describes certain cases where no suitable black candidates have applied for a specific position and a suitable white candidate is then appointed as an "unwanted" practice.

Private sector employers are forced by means of legislation to maintain unrealistic and discriminatory transformation targets, with hefty fines being imposed when those targets are not met.

Since it came into power 28 years ago, the ANC government has succeeded in nothing but tearing down the country's economy and driving the unemployment rate up to new record highs.

Legislation imposing cosmetic transformation targets is promulgated and reinforced time and again, but it does not effectively address the root of the problem, namely unemployment and poor economic growth

Although Mr Saltzman's letter was reportedly withdrawn, it is extremely alarming that private sector employers are forced to take such drastic steps in a desperate attempt to avoid fines.

The FF Plus, furthermore, condemns the way in which Dischem treats its staff and applicants.

The private sector is being severely restricted by stringent labour legislation and over-regulation by an incompetent and increasingly irrelevant ideologically driven government.

Instead, the sector must be allowed to make appointments based on merit, create more jobs and promote economic growth.

Issued by Heloïse Denner, FF Plus MP and chief spokesperson: Labour, 14 October 2022