Almost 20 years ago, as an unemployed honours economics graduate, I wrote to Wesgro (and others) offering to work for free in exchange for experience. I was prepared to work in any capacity no matter how junior, and told them so. I had six years experience in consulting engineering, so was already a highly competent professional.
I was invited to an interview where the head of research I think was openly sceptical and even hostile of my intentions. "No one works for free", he said. Well I would, I was desperate.
He appeared more interested talking about his MBA. Although he said there were openings for someone with my qualifications, I never heard from them again. Since then I'm wary of Wesgro - they can't see an opportunity if it bit them on the nose.
During the last quarter of 2014 both Wesgro's Tim Harris and Western Cape economic opportunities MEC Alan Winde separately warned the "skills shortage was harming the regional economy" and the need to import those skills. They said visa regulations must be relaxed to allow foreigners to work here.
At the time, the department of home affairs was in the process of implementing stringent visa regulations to combat, they said, child trafficking and provide greater security at the borders (these stupid regulations, which were not based on research and which the tourism industry consistently warned government about, were largely abolished two weeks ago because of the huge damage it did to tourism). Winde met home affairs to express concern about the alleged negative impact of the regulations on importing skilled foreigners.
Wesgro is an independent agency of the (DA-run) Western Cape government. Harris is a former DA shadow finance minister who was appointed in an acting capacity at Wesgro until his appointment as CEO in December 2014, apparently the best candidate out of 199 applicants.
It's no surprise, therefore, that Harris and Winde - DA politicians - sang from the same hymn sheet regarding alleged dire threats to the regional economy. I think there was some political orchestration or complicity about this message to further a particular agenda. Winde will listen to his government's research unit, but he has his own "panel" of advisers, as a secretary in his department emailed me last year when I requested evidence of the skills shortage.
An "independent" agency of the DA-run Western Cape government will be influenced by political pressure to present a particular position even if its false, lacks credibility or is tenuous at best.
In 2011 the "independent" provincial conservation agency, CapeNature, bowed to political pressure, probably emanating from the premier, but definitely included agriculture and environment ministers, to issue an unprecedented number of hunting licences to farmers to kill predators, including the protected Cape leopard. This was based on the alleged massive financial loss - premier Helen Zille mentioned a figure of a couple of billion rand - farmers were suffering.
CapeNature and WC government denied the charge (they later waged a vindictive three-year campaign against the whistle blower who worked for the administration, but in a different department). But they were discredited when evidence emerged, including minutes I obtained of a CapeNature board meeting, proving the charges had substance, and an independent report by an expert stated CapeNature exceeded its mandate to be concerned about economic factors.
The point is neither CapeNature nor the WC government produced conservation or economic research evidence - I asked numerous times and conservation NGOs confirmed evidence was spotty - that predation was causing damage to the extent they claimed. Other evidence, ironically, which the WC government themselves announced, showed poaching was causing massive financial losses, nearly a billion rand. Also, what is beyond dispute is that farmers themselves, due to irresponsible or inefficient husbandry, were losing stock, but refusing alternative, environmentally-friendly methods.
So we have a pattern: the province's politicians and "independent" agencies issue misleading, perhaps untrue, statements about vital matters but can't produce evidence to support them. Just as farmers, who are politically conservative and supporters of the party, approached Zille about the predator "problem" (to be fair, predators cause stock losses, but not to the extent they claim), so I think businesses approached Winde et al, perhaps at a cocktail party or networking session, about the alleged problems they were having obtaining work permits for foreign workers whose skills were "essential". Suddenly anecdotes, told over drinks, become a national emergency.
Going back to Harris' appointment as chief executive of Wesgro.
Presumably, the 199 applicants were highly skilled people befitting a CEO post. Now, an applicant pool of 200 is very good for a skilled position and excellent for a highly skilled one - common wisdom says the "scarcer" the skill, the scarcer suitable applicants will be.
However, we've been told ad nauseam there's a skills shortage and employers are having "sleepless nights" filling vacancies. But here we have 199 available and highly skilled people applying, in an economy and society, they say, absolutely lacks such skills. And since, they say, we must import these scarce skills, how is it that Harris walked away with the job, and not a foreigner on whose behalf Winde championed the minister of home affairs?
It is a paradox and a mystery.
Parts of this post were previously published in the Cape Argus.
I was invited to an interview where the head of research I think was openly sceptical and even hostile of my intentions. "No one works for free", he said. Well I would, I was desperate.
He appeared more interested talking about his MBA. Although he said there were openings for someone with my qualifications, I never heard from them again. Since then I'm wary of Wesgro - they can't see an opportunity if it bit them on the nose.
During the last quarter of 2014 both Wesgro's Tim Harris and Western Cape economic opportunities MEC Alan Winde separately warned the "skills shortage was harming the regional economy" and the need to import those skills. They said visa regulations must be relaxed to allow foreigners to work here.
At the time, the department of home affairs was in the process of implementing stringent visa regulations to combat, they said, child trafficking and provide greater security at the borders (these stupid regulations, which were not based on research and which the tourism industry consistently warned government about, were largely abolished two weeks ago because of the huge damage it did to tourism). Winde met home affairs to express concern about the alleged negative impact of the regulations on importing skilled foreigners.
Wesgro is an independent agency of the (DA-run) Western Cape government. Harris is a former DA shadow finance minister who was appointed in an acting capacity at Wesgro until his appointment as CEO in December 2014, apparently the best candidate out of 199 applicants.
It's no surprise, therefore, that Harris and Winde - DA politicians - sang from the same hymn sheet regarding alleged dire threats to the regional economy. I think there was some political orchestration or complicity about this message to further a particular agenda. Winde will listen to his government's research unit, but he has his own "panel" of advisers, as a secretary in his department emailed me last year when I requested evidence of the skills shortage.
An "independent" agency of the DA-run Western Cape government will be influenced by political pressure to present a particular position even if its false, lacks credibility or is tenuous at best.
In 2011 the "independent" provincial conservation agency, CapeNature, bowed to political pressure, probably emanating from the premier, but definitely included agriculture and environment ministers, to issue an unprecedented number of hunting licences to farmers to kill predators, including the protected Cape leopard. This was based on the alleged massive financial loss - premier Helen Zille mentioned a figure of a couple of billion rand - farmers were suffering.
CapeNature and WC government denied the charge (they later waged a vindictive three-year campaign against the whistle blower who worked for the administration, but in a different department). But they were discredited when evidence emerged, including minutes I obtained of a CapeNature board meeting, proving the charges had substance, and an independent report by an expert stated CapeNature exceeded its mandate to be concerned about economic factors.
The point is neither CapeNature nor the WC government produced conservation or economic research evidence - I asked numerous times and conservation NGOs confirmed evidence was spotty - that predation was causing damage to the extent they claimed. Other evidence, ironically, which the WC government themselves announced, showed poaching was causing massive financial losses, nearly a billion rand. Also, what is beyond dispute is that farmers themselves, due to irresponsible or inefficient husbandry, were losing stock, but refusing alternative, environmentally-friendly methods.
So we have a pattern: the province's politicians and "independent" agencies issue misleading, perhaps untrue, statements about vital matters but can't produce evidence to support them. Just as farmers, who are politically conservative and supporters of the party, approached Zille about the predator "problem" (to be fair, predators cause stock losses, but not to the extent they claim), so I think businesses approached Winde et al, perhaps at a cocktail party or networking session, about the alleged problems they were having obtaining work permits for foreign workers whose skills were "essential". Suddenly anecdotes, told over drinks, become a national emergency.
Going back to Harris' appointment as chief executive of Wesgro.
Presumably, the 199 applicants were highly skilled people befitting a CEO post. Now, an applicant pool of 200 is very good for a skilled position and excellent for a highly skilled one - common wisdom says the "scarcer" the skill, the scarcer suitable applicants will be.
However, we've been told ad nauseam there's a skills shortage and employers are having "sleepless nights" filling vacancies. But here we have 199 available and highly skilled people applying, in an economy and society, they say, absolutely lacks such skills. And since, they say, we must import these scarce skills, how is it that Harris walked away with the job, and not a foreigner on whose behalf Winde championed the minister of home affairs?
It is a paradox and a mystery.
Parts of this post were previously published in the Cape Argus.
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