SAA cadet program is only for the "connected" few
Rightly said fluffyfan and Propellerpilot.
AA figures in aviation will not be achieved because there are just not enough black pilots coming through the system.
The cadet scheme is also flawed in many ways.
1) Most of the cadets are well connected and thus get "selected" for the program. While some of them realy want to fly, a large percentage (as Propellerpilot pointed out) are just there for the ride. Some cadets' fathers are so wealthy that they can afford to buy them a plane, let alone sponser them their CPL's. They arrive there in fancy cars with lot of spending money and an attitude that sucks.
2) A large percentage of cadets find that it is just too hard work and either quit, or get washed because the passion is just not there. They see it as just another job. Those with this attitude arrive at SAA, fat and happy, but dont see a 30 year+ career through...they quit after a while or fall pregnant.
3) The cost involved are too high....I heard a figure of R500 000 per cadet.
4) Cadets block the market for everybody because they are placed at airlines like SAX, Link, Solento, etc to be groomed for SAA. When they eventualy get their appointment at SAA after 3 years at the feeder Airlines, they have approximately 2500 hours but NO command experience.
"There are lots of alternatives to AA, I personally think that the right place to start is to educate and inform the black youth about aviation, to plant the seed and let it grow then let them find there own way like the vast majority of pilots out there have, however the whole situation has been left so long that the quick fix to the horribly one sided pilot ratio is AA."
As a solution to getting the figures right, I think fluffyfan made a spot on observation/comment. Instead of spending R500 000 on one cadet (who most probably wont see his career to the end because he has little passion for what he does) why not spend R50 000 on 10 wannabe's.
Assuming roughly 10 cadets obtain their wings at a cost of R5mil to the taxpayer, why not then spend half the amount, but expose 50 black kids to aviation by giving them a PPL. Select the top 20% and see them through to the feeder airlines, if you must. The rest must fend for themselves, work hard like all the other wannabe's do to get their CPL's, go give instruction and later on find a contract job.
This way the same amout of "cadets" gets pushed into the market, with a possible 40 more to come through the system in due course with a lot of depth due to contract work etc.