SA Faces Critical Skills Shortage

We get these statements periodically, from ministers or government officials about the skills crisis yet it seems nobody is listening because nothing is being done about it.

Skilled people, mainly white (but also other races) are leaving for greener shores because they are simply not wanted in their country. There are other factors like crime of course, but affirmative action helps to drive people away too.

They possess the 'critical skills' needed and not to make use of those skills is an aberration, like so many of the ANC's policies. It just makes no sense. Ideology over pragmatism.

And it won't change soon. Not if the Chinese experience is anything to go by when they were given BEE status.

We simply must have a do-over. We must throw out affirmative action, BEE and quotas NOW. Get everybody back to work whatever their skin pigment and let the marketplace take care of the problem. It is not government's job to meddle in business. Government can give incentives and set voluntary guidelines but they should not legislate to force people to hire a certain race group.

After all, it is the business owners that will train and employ the nation, not government, and people will naturally employ whomever they feel will add value to their business. Dammit, this is not rocket science.

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South Africa can't find enough skilled workers to deliver local services to the public, a top official said Thursday in delivering an annual report on the government's performance.

Frank Chikane, director general in the president's office, said that eight years ago, financial constraints were the main limit to delivering government services.

"Now we are reporting a budget surplus, but lack of capacity to spend the money, especially at the local government level, is slowing service delivery," Chikane told reporters. "Some municipalities do not even have a single engineer. That is a huge problem.

The government has launched a joint effort with private companies to train people in skills currently in short supply, but the program hasn't yet produced enough experienced candidates to fill the growing number of vacant jobs.

The report said the government's fixed investment grew 14.8% in 2007, accounting for 20.6% of gross domestic product. This is the highest investment ratio since 1985 and takes South Africa closer to government's target of investment as 25% of GDP by 2014.

But the report warned the country still needs to do more to combat unemployment and crime.

Despite being Africa's largest economy, South Africa is still struggling with high levels of unemployment, officially put at 25% but believed by analysts to be nearer 40%.

"Unemployment is at the heart of poverty, and while social grants can provide relief, employment creation is necessary in breaking the circle," said the report.

Official figures indicate that around 50 murders are committed in the country every day, making it one of the highest rates in the world.