South Africa's Failing Schools Pose Threat to Growth

Sasol Ltd. can't find the mechanics, welders and riggers it needs among South Africa's 4.6 million unemployed workers as the country's biggest company alters its refineries to meet government demands to phase out leaded fuel. "We will have to import, for the peak of the workload, about 2,000 qualified artisans,'' says Jannie van der Westhuizen, 55, human resources director at Johannesburg-based Sasol. Almost 11 years after the end of apartheid, South African schools are struggling to overcome the legacy left by white- minority governments that refused to prepare blacks for skilled jobs. Employers from computer-services companies to builders and dental clinics are seeking to fill as many as 500,000 positions. The scarcity of skilled workers may slow the expansion of Africa's biggest economy, which accelerated to a four-year high of 3.7 percent last year. President Thabo Mbeki, in his state of the nation address Feb. 11, promised 21.9 billion rand ($3.7 billion) over the next five years to train workers. [more]