I find it incredibly frustrating when I am barred from opportunities thanks to my country's past.
During my journalism lecture yesterday, the communications officer of the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) spoke to us about the graduate internship on offer. It's getting to the end of my degree and I need to start thinking about some serious career building blocks.
To apply we had to go to the Rhodes University page for information on applying for the programme. Thank goodness I didn't print out the form and hand it in otherwise I would've been very embarrassed. Turns out I'm the wrong colour for the internship.
I kinda wish they'd told us before hand. Why get people's hopes up when you know that half the class can't even apply?
The phrases 'Employment Equity Act' and 'University's Equity Policy' I find to be incredibly contradictory in my generation. I can't stand this politically correct society. I don't believe that I have done anything wrong and yet I will be the one to pay the price. It hardly seems fair.
Not to mention the fact that policies like the Equity Act don't even help the people it was created for. So many South Africans have experienced worse economic inequality in today's society than ever before. In no way am I punting the ideas of apartheid. I just think we need to logically look at our society and review such racial policies in today's context. Look at who these policies are benefiting and if it's in the interest of the majority.
Living in Grahamstown for nearly 3 years has made me realise the racial divide that still exists. This is only encouraged by our ever expanding economic gap between the haves and the have-nots. The Eastern Cape is the personification of what is wrong in South Africa and the current state of the province is a clear cry for help.
We need to stop racialising the issue and start to fix the problems that we have.
But this could just be the same-old ramblings of a white student.
