South Africa White Police Allege Discrimination

A predominately white South African trade union accused the government Thursday of putting racial job quotas ahead of fighting crime.

The Solidarity union has filed applications in the Labor 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 the South African Police Services (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.”

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