Open EE dialogue: Thabo and myself on FB

With thanks to Thabo for opening the dialogue
THABO:I just think as Africans we are just too apologetic.The EE stats are out,still white men are in charge.How is this possible when black labour(skilled,semi-skilled,unskilled) accounts for 74 percent of the active racial group that contributes to our country's GDP?Of the many top notch JSE listed(Main board) companies,only 4 are run by blacks.These are very sad statistics,very depressing indeed!!

LUCILLE:create a business that is 100% black owned and employ 100% black
LUCILLE:as a so called white, I would much rather have my business be diverse because in Africa that is where our strength lies. We all learn and grow through each other and from each other - that is the way forward.

THABO:It only becomes entitlement when blacks make demands not when whites decide during the weekend away in Umhlanga,Constantia Kloof,Camps bay and all those fancy resorts and golf clubs they go to where all the darkies you meet are cleaners,minders and caddies,decide without proper consultation to elect another white CEO,the number one excuse being we were thinking about how the markets would react.This country will never be totally free from the apartheid past when our government is reminded that because you wanted peace,we gave you peace on condition that we keep the wealth of this country in white hands(that was what former president De Klerk meant when he said to current president Zuma...do not forget our CODESA agreements)I am not only angry at the whites who continue to limit a black man's dreams,i am also angry at the lawmakers who continue to promote shit policies when all they should be doing is going to each and every company imposing equal opportunities for all.

LUCILLE:I'm passionately the m*er in with blacks who continue 2 limit their own dreams despite the tree of FREEDOM groaning &waiting for people to reach out and harvest the low hanging fruit of being-FREE, in mind, body &spirit. I watch black South Africans through my business brimming with potential but breaking themselves down at every turn.
At the same time I DO UNDERSTAND &have empathy for low self esteem &I know that it can be debilitating as it is my own struggle in life also. SA is a country where DREAMS COME TRUE daily!
NO Thabo, this country will be FREE from the past because their are many more of us that hold &nurture that dream in our hearts than those who do not.
No one gave me any handouts in life, everything I have experienced, studied, build up was through work &applying my mind &focusing on my dreams. I had a tough life but I am no longer a victim to it.
What do you want your life to look like Thabo? What is the legacy that you want to leave your children? Focus on that.

THABO:Lucille,The EE stats are based on qualified,quality black personnel with limited career growth.We are talking black kids,men and women who are graduates and experts in their fields totally overlooked because everything is defined in white terms.Again i repeat that its easy for you to say that there is no limit to what you can achieve in corporate SA when you don't have to work twice as hard cos half the time you are given half the information required to produce a smart report,when you constantly have to laugh at your boss's boring jokes co's you at any given opportunity you are reminded of where you come from just to destabilise your growth ambitions.There are thousands of black graduates out there some with masters degrees without employment.Do we blame them for the lack of employment and growth opportunities or do we expose the reality that all senior management positions go to whites who in turn are left with the responsibility to decide how many get developed to better quality.

LUCILLE:Thabo at 17 I started working in the financial industry, there were roles in the industry reserved for MEN only, in other cases they would only do training investment in MEN, they would only give subsidies and loans to MEN. I and my sisters in the industry would work in a role where a man in the same role earned double, triple. Please don't insinuate, when you don't know me, where I came from and what I have accomplished.
I am sick of the YES BUT self pity attitude of SOME black South Africans.
Build your own 100% black owned 100% black staffed business if that is your dream. Make a point of working for black owned business, so you can all build wealth together. Beside whining what are you doing to make it better? What will your legacy be?
I have been discriminated against throughout my life including NOW, and I take charge and make it work for me. I am quite happy to guide ALL people in my line of business but you MUST want it and have a reason for being in business.
17 minutes ago
LUCILLE:I have worked in corporate SA with many black loafers who only want to take short cuts and/or commit fraud out of greed and laziness AND I have worked in corporate SA with many black professionals who I admire and who WORKED their way up in corporate SA from the early eighties and before who only now are reaping rewards.

These black professionals(particularly women) are the same people that are giving their counterparts a hand up today, they are not bemoaning the past, as it is past.

I have great regard for the black business men who despite apartheid built thriving business during apartheid and continue to do so today.