To a standstill of compliance

Somewhere in this country, employed professionals who tally 150 or more in an organisation engage in an annual commotion. In the case of 150 employees or less, the commotion happens every two years. But we will soon be partaking in it every year, says the latest amendments.

We rush in and out. Down the corridors we give each other half-greetings. Our eyes are glued to computers. We are poring through reports and populating the templates. We have been doing this for fourteen years.

Somewhere in this country there is traffic down the passage, up and down the stairs. We are so busy we even forget to attend long-standing meetings. We give half-apologies for missing them as we dash through to the next moment of pulsating race. The country has come to a standstill.

Time to connect with colleagues is limited. After all, numbers about numbers (people) require us to speak above people’s heads. There is no time to attend to little things. We are busy showing our commitment to including and empowering the “others”.

Somewhere in this country, 98% of designated employers have submitted their Employment Equity reports online. People entrusted with implementing justice… equity, have reduced themselves to less-than-efficient administrators who push paperwork for a salary.

Why is it that fourteen years later we are colliding with one another and initiating near-stampede moments in the milieu of office buzz? Why, during a time like this, are we screaming at each other and making work - about those whom we “won’t” give work - such a dreadful experience?

Because the business and workplace culture wherein White Males (62.7%) in Top Management and (57%) in Senior Management positions are vying for a patriotic honour to “comply” with the law, and not for the contentment of leading transformation that builds a just society.

Because the culture wherein African people (69,3%) in Top and Senior Management positions of government take the crack of whip from politicians with a conscience-less sense of honour, for not opening public-funded jobs for wretched Black people.

We said “open the doors for the Historically Disadvantaged South Africans.” We acted by saying “swelling the ranks with White Females to a point of over-representation!”

The B-BBEE says “embrace driven and capable Black business men and women.” To comply, we are closing the gates by striking deals mainly with connected Black political elite. Now they are rich, and they are talking down at the people.

We are using unsuspecting and gullible Black Males and Females who are, as we speak, battling with the burden of repaying borrowed money to buy equity, if not collecting crumbs called “big salary.”

Somewhere in this country, we are busy complying, believing that we are noble in our dealings yet committing fraud. And we carry on, hoping that the ultimate social collapse we are accomplices to will not happen in our name.

We will be back here again next year, to demonstrate our patriotic pedigree, our dedication to transformation, by running around, ticking boxes, tinkering with numbers. We will be back here, to bring the country’s workplace to a standstill. In 2016, we will be back here, to comply.