THE anti-affirmative action, employment equity and black economic empowerment sentiments that were articulated since the Commission of Employment Equity report was published were pretty predictable.

Such defensive and malicious attitudes indicate that we still have a long way to go in remedying the abnormalities created by the apartheid regime and still being perpetuated.

It was imprudent of the government to expect the white economy to transform on its own, so a set of legislative frameworks were instituted to speed up transformation. This should have happened naturally, because we all acknowledge the catastrophe of the past as well as the repercussions if we do not expedite the transformation process.

Alas, the process of putting the onus on corporate SA has proved to be the biggest mistake the government has made.

The moral persuasion and slight intimidations have also been futile so far and only hardened attitudes.

So we are happy that Jimmy Manyi has been appointed to the Department of Labour. We fully support some of the recommendations he has already advanced.

Let us give punitive measures a chance because clearly moral persuasion has failed, hence the misguided calls that AA/EE/BEE has failed. It has not failed but people want it to fail.

The government should pursue the appropriate implementation and monitoring with the same vigour and determination because we are almost at the brink.

The implications of not speedily transforming the economy are to ghastly to contemplate.

Patrick Rampai, Klerksdorp