As a recently returned expatriate to the sunny shores of the new South Africa, I have noticed a number of changes - many of which are for the worse, in my view.
Along the journey, I've noticed many fat-cat new-rich business tycoons with amazing senses of self-importance, as well as a huge number of what are probably termed 'poor whites'. Some 650,000 I'm led to understand, amongst a light-green population of arguably less than 2 million souls.
Being the good-natured, colour-blind sort that I am, I initially welcomed the changes in the service industry, where dark-green staff dominates the lighter-green variety by some 99.9% : 0.1%. Good for the emerging new middle class I initially thought.
As I began to open my new eyes a little more, I've come across light-green youngsters with absolutely no hope of finding a job due to the colour of their pale-green skins. This must be a terminal disease.
I see laws where the concept of BE = Black Empowerment is pushed with great gusto. In parallel I'm almost finished wih an excellent review of the pinnacles of dark-green achievements in Africa. (Chika Onyeani, Capitalist Nigger, Jonathan Ball Publishers, 2000). This is an enlightening must-read for alternative shades of green.
I see new laws being proposed to force greater transfer of light-green lands into the hands of the darker-green uber farmers of the future. I also note an increased drive to force more & more businesses to enter the ranks of the BE faithful.
I see a huge affliction on the Rainbow Nation - a blight operating under the name of Affirmative Action. This affliction essentially postulates that any applicant for a position is welcome to apply, as long as he/she is of the dark-green variety - skill level does not seem to enter the equation.
Well, being a truly well-meaning colour-blind (expect for shades of green) fellow that I am, I have decided to develop a new form of business model. The name for this is RE = Re-affirmative Empowerment, or Recovery Empowerment, as you will. This model proposes that there now exists a desperate need for light-green members of the SA business community to stand shoulder to shoulder & to provide opportunity to the youngsters from our own ranks. We owe this to our children & succeeding generations.
I propose to develop the following slogan:
Proudly South African - an RE company.
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