Government puts AA and racial job quotas ahead of fighting crime

SA's white police officers denied promotion because of the colour of their skin.

A predominately white South African trade union accused the government today of putting racial job quotas ahead of fighting crime. The Solidarity union has filed applications in the Labour Court in Johannesburg contesting appointment and promotion policies in the police force and prison service saying whites are suffering from racial discrimination.

South Africa has one of the highest levels of violent crime in the world with at least 50 murders a day. Some commentators say insufficient resources and a lack of personnel impede the police force's ability to do its job.

Solidarity secretary-general Dirk Hermann said SAPS were more concerned with meeting affirmative action quotas established to address the wrongs of apartheid than filling vacant positions with competent officers. "There is currently a practice in the SAPS, for the sake of the ideology of representation, to rather leave posts vacant or scrap them instead of appointing experienced white police members in the posts," he said at a news conference.

"Representation has become the most important driver for the SAPS, instead of pursuing their main objective, namely to protect all South Africans." Nine cases have been filed against the SAPS and one against the prison service alleging white Solidarity union members were being denied promotion or not being re-hired because of the colour of their skin.

The SAPS could not be reached for comment although blacks now make up a majority of the police force, reflecting their 80% proportion of the overall population, a 2005 study showed that blacks only made up 44% of senior officers. - Reuters