Ultimately, after reading the whole thread, I am still of the opinion that there is no fix to the problem. Affermative action (AA) is a reality in our country. Ones personal opinions about the validity of AA are only of intrest to those that hold them, as the actual decision has been made by the rulers of the nation, and for the forseeable future will not change. The problem lies in the fact that someone has to pay for AA to take place. SAA has a program in place, which I believe is a good one. I have met some of the black pilots that have come through the system, and I must say that I am generaly impressed with the standard.
If I was the owner of a small, or large aviation company in SA, I don't believe that I would sponsor a black pilot. Not because of race, but because it is a very expensive exercise, and the candidate would leave before I got any return on my investment. This is not to say that the candidate would be wrong to go, on the contrary, he would be foolish not to futher his career. The profit margin in the aviation industry is too small to expect the industry to pay for the training. (I'm talking charter / airline) The only funding that can take place to drive the idea of AA in aviation is Government (through the SAAF and SAA), and private individuals and companies who have vast quantities of spare money to spend on bursaries to students. Down side to this is that these individuals would rather sponsor a universaty graduate that they can later get their pound of flesh from.
So once again, I am the prophet of doom. There is no answer. IF there is, I will be the first to subscribe to it, as I was born in this country, I love this country and I will do anything in my power to assure that this country is as good to my children as it was and is to me!