The plight of young Black professionals

The private sector absorbs black graduates in large deposits - which they must be applauded for. On the other hand in an act of double standards practise, once in the system, the graduates are subjects of intransigency and excruciating frustrations – such acts of double standards must be reviled and abrogated in the strongest possible terms. For if we let such practises prevail, we’d be perpetuating the stereo-type that black executives are only good for public office.

When black aspiring graduates enter the workplace they do so with great zest, zeal and eagerness to learn and they do so devoid of racial prejudice. However, once the harsh imperialistic practices of employment have taken a full effect and a taxing toll, they are left frustrated and crying for intervention from relevant labour relations bodies. It is a fact that even in this day and age a top brass black graduate is still subject of great and often evil intentioned scrutiny whereas his Caucasian counter-part has a home run to top executive positions; those who dispute this stance are nothing but victims of “rainbow illusion” – a disease prevalent amongst those detached from reality.

When the brave ones dare stand up against this Jim Crow labour practises, they are ostracised and a red hot iron is used to brand them “trouble-makers”. Such incidents are rife especially in industries where Government labour legislations regulating employment equity are denigrated with shameless impunity – one such industry is Advertising and Media sales. A glance at executive management of top advertising agencies and media owners is reminiscence of pre-94 South Africa. The old-guard of the previous regime is still having a field day. The few black executives are either outnumbered by the regressive forces and can’t effect meaningful change or are mere pin-ups. This is a call for great concern.

In the Advertising and Media industry concern is not only at top brass level, it is also at departmental level where the rewarding positions such as sales are reserved for and/or largely filled by whites whereas blacks are cramped into positions that requires less intellect often for no purpose other than to fill quotas requirements, but those who are lucky enough to make such positions are set up for failure with ludicrous restrictions that lead to dismissal due to a ‘lack of performance’.

Very often is the race card used in the Advertising and Media Sales industry where campaigns are given to a company based on the colour of their skin instead of merit and excellence. Preference is often given to white owned companies, by white clients of course, even when the black owned companies are better equipped for the job all because of their attempts to combat affirmative action and because there has been no legal intervention from the office of Director-General of Labour in this industry, this bitter behaviour reigns as freely as spring butterflies.

Patronisation and marginalisation are norms, where black folk are set up for failure in a 96% “Lilly” white industry. A good portion of those black folk have been job hopping in attempts to find refuge in Advertising agencies but to no avail as this sort of prejudice dominates. The few lucky scholars who arguably ‘make it’ are exploited in “business unit manager” positions to acquire black business from Government and are rewarded with a condescending performance bonus instead of shares in the company and such behaviour will never cease until their pockets are shaken.

The concerned young black graduates urge the employment equity bodies to apply microscopic introspection on transformation prevalence in the Advertising and Media Sales industry. This is a plea to the office of Director-General of Labour to champion some much needed transformation in this industry as well as other industries resistant towards transformation policies.


Written by Khwaet Frank and The Architect.