ABSTRACT
The results presented in the previous chapter revealed that the advancement of Africans into traditionally white occupations during the apartheid era was by no means even. Although there was significant African advancement into semi-professional and routine white-collar occupations, the extent of this advancement was not matched in the skilled trades. Clearly, this pattern of de-racialisation cannot be explained simply through reference to the level of education required for these different occupations. Although many semiprofessional jobs do require a post-matric diploma, I have shown that many African semi-professionals are teachers and nurses who have usually completed only Standard 8 and a short post-school diploma. Similarly, although many routine white-collar jobs require Standard 10, most of the routine whitecollar jobs which Africans occupy do not require more than a Standard 8 certificate. Entry into the skilled trades also requires only a Standard 8 certificate plus two years of apprenticeship training. So, although the level and type of education required for these different occupational groups are not exactly the same, they are within the reach of most individuals with at least three years of secondary education. There is therefore no obvious correlation between the levels of certification required for particular occupations and the extent of their de-racialisation. I shall argue that the explanation for this uneven pattern of de-racialisation must be sought in the complex relationship between the changing capitalist labour process, controls by white unions over the supply of skilled labour, and state labour policy.
