Alec Hogg’s Inbox: We often read about a “tax revolt,” but how about starting a BEE revolt?

Judging by their responses, many community members have had enough of the Covid debate. So despite some excellent contributions hitting my inbox, will be steering away from the pandemic for the moment.

Here’s a suggestion from Chris Anderson that deserves a wider audience. He wrote:

I was very interested to read about the small and family businesses that nurture their employees and encourage their skills development. I am one of those employers, and like other correspondents I am frustrated by the BEE rules that give little recognition to skills development.

We often read about “tax revolt” but how about the large (and small) organisations starting a BEE revolt by dealing preferentially with those businesses that focus on skills development rather than ownership in much the same way that many parastatals have changed the BEE rules to focus on ownership. 

Tony Marron from Amanzimtoti has clearly given the country’s future much thought, He wrote:

I enjoy reading the views of others particularly regarding the future of South Africa.

I believe the future is education; with very high unemployment particularly with young people unemployment, The Government needs a strategy to educate and to attract businesses that can use the educated.

My view would be that The Government should begin an International Campaign to say that South Africa is open for business and will soon have a well educated workforce ready for action.

How this will be achieved is that The Government will sponsor any work based education scheme providing the education provided is transferable and not industry specialised.

Industry training will still happen of course but The Government will encourage a part of that training to be general and transferable by sponsoring that part of the training.

The Government will also sponsor any young person to attend this work based training and will provide support to the companies involved.

The education received will be to a standard and the apprentices will be tested.

The passed exams will show a competence in subjects like maths, English, computer skills and other life skills for example how to handle money, savings, pensions, contraception, general health, etc.

The apprentice will receive a certificate after each semester if he or she passes and these certificates will be nationally recognised and will be transferable between employers.

The advantage of this scheme is that the worldwide business world will see that South Africa is serious about investing in its people and its future and will raise the profile of South Africa in the very competitive market place on international investment.

And eventually South Africa will have a well educated workforce ready for companies to invest in South Africa.

We end this morning’s contributions with something completely different. Doug Whitaker provides an unusual solution to SA’s excessive population growth (and potentially unwanted pregnancies):

I am retired chief health inspector of Umhlanga. Yes, the dorpie you Vaalies used to visit.

In 1974, clinics only provided mother and baby services. Sometime during that year two nurses from England were in Durban holding courses in family planning. I attended one of these courses.

On this particular course there was myself, (a male whitey), a black zulu guy from Zululand who claimed to be a fellow health inspector, black nurses and other unqualified women nurses.

There were no indian, coloured or white nurses on this course.

On returning from this course, I established family planning clinics within the Municipality of Umhlanga.

It was only years later that the Durban Health Department as well as the Government health department introduced their own clinics.

It must have been about 1976 I read an article about a urologist in the USA who is alleged to have developed a device that prevented men getting women pregnant.

It comprised a gold plated plastic tube roughly in the shape of a Y, or a boys catty for firing at birds or other targets.

Within this tubing there was a valve that could be opened or closed with microsurgery.

The idea was to cut a slit in the mans’ vasdeferens and to insert the device into the vasdeferens and the sperm would be diverted into the body for destruction by the body’s defence system.

With microsurgery the process could be reversed in order to impregnate the woman.

With the high birthrate it will be impossible to house, feed and educate our growing future population.

Do you know of anyone who is motivated enough to investigate the above?

There are various incentives that could be applied if the above is feasible.

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