Johannesburg - The DA and Solidarity
were fuming on Friday over news that the pilot cadet training
programme of SA Airways (SAA) excluded white men.
"It is disturbing that SAA have
opted to exclude people from its pilot training programme on the
basis of race and gender," said Democratic Alliance MP Natasha
Michael.
"No South African should feel
excluded on the basis of the colour of their skin or the combination
of chromosomes they happen to possess."
The Beeld newspaper reported that
application forms to the training programme from white men were no
longer being accepted by the SAA.
SAA spokesman Kabelo Ledwaba told the
newspaper the cadet programme was being advertised online as an
initiative to bring pilot demographics in line with the country's
broader demographics.
He said only 15% of SAA pilots were
black, including Indians and coloureds.
Ledwaba said the airline would appoint
male white pilots when there were vacant posts for which applicants
of other races could not be found.
"Racial discrimination was the
animating idea of apartheid and has no place in a democratic South
Africa.
"There has to be a better way of
ensuring diversity, merit and redress than blanket racial and gender
quotas," said Michael.
Trade union Solidarity said it would
launch a public campaign against SAA unless it "immediately"
abandoned its quota system.
Deputy general secretary Dirk Hermann
said the campaign slogan would be: "SAA: An absolute barrier
carrier."
Herman said Solidarity would use
Facebook and Twitter to garner public support for the campaign.
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