scholarly journals Enhancing diversity via affirmative action: A case study of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ntsikelelo B. Breakfast ◽  
Brigitte Maart
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Affirmative Action ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Diversity Management ◽  
Policy Instrument ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Employment Equity ◽  
Nelson Mandela ◽  
Action Measures

Background: This article examines diversity within the context of affirmation action, with specific reference to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality. The Employment Equity Act, 1998 (Act 55 of 1998), is a policy instrument through which affirmation action and organisational diversity are promoted in post-apartheid South Africa to increase the economic participation of designated groups.Aim: Against this background, the aim of this article is to investigate the influence of the Employment Equity Act, 1998, on diversity management in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.Setting: The guiding research question of this article is: what is the effective way of implementing affirmative action measures through Employment Equity Act, 1998 (Act 55 of 1998), in particular in promoting diversity in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality?Methods: A qualitative approach is employed to explore and describe the complexities at play in this article.Results: The findings of this article suggest that the goal and vision of diversity management should consistently be communicated in clear terms to all affected, especially the employees as they are most affected by it.Conclusion: This article contributes to the scholarship of Public Administration and Management surrounding the ongoing debate in South Africa with regard to transformation, organisation diversity and policy implementation of affirmative action. The central thesis of this article is that adequate policy execution of diversity and employment equity will improve service delivery alongside customer satisfaction.

scholarly journals Enabling Sustainable Organizational Change: A Case of Cognitive Diversity in the Automotive Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tonja Blom ◽  
Yvonne du Plessis ◽  
Hamid H Kazeroony
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Change ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Diversity Management ◽  
Change Implementation ◽  
Cognitive Diversity ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Niche Theory ◽  
Implementing Change

In diverse societies such as South Africa, organizations continue to face inclusion challenges when implementing change. This study proposes a different method and new dimension of diversity management within the cognitive diversity construct, namely human niche theory, to tackle the diversity dilemma of exclusivity. The research question asked whether human niche theory, as a defined concept within cognitive diversity, could be utilized by managers to enable inclusion and promote sustainable organizational change implementation. Conceptually, this paper relates human niche theory to seven themes in the change process, namely, communication, training, motivation, resources, control, monitoring, and feedback. An exploratory single case study in a multicultural South African automotive organization that implemented a company-wide technology change project was used as a unit of analysis. The single case study revealed a new understanding of change implementation processes using the human niche theoretical framework related to radical technological change implementation. Data collection included in-depth interviews, focus group sessions, solicited company data, field notes, and observations. Content and comparative data analysis were used to present findings. This research showed that managers’ awareness of human niche theory in terms of cognitive diversity could assist in managing diversity, enabling inclusion, and change effectiveness in the organization, while minimizing emotional exclusion.

Public Service Transformation and Affirmative Action Perspectives in South Africa

1996 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.S. Reddy ◽  
R.B.G. Choudree
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Affirmative Action ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Bill Of Rights ◽  
Employment Equity ◽  
Effective Mechanism ◽  
The Public ◽  
General Acceptance

Affirmative action is on the agenda in South Africa. It is generally accepted that the new constitution will include a bill of rights which will contain a clause ensuring equality of all persons. It is this clause which will outlaw discrimination and which will sanction affirmative action. However, it is probably that the bill of rights will have to be supplemented by legislation on discrimination, affirmative action and employment equity, which will determine, for example whether and how the Public Service (and the private sector) are compelled or permitted to implement affirmative action. While approaches and strategies to affirmative action vary considerably, there is general acceptance that it may be an effective mechanism of ensuring social justice in the public service. It can play a pivotal role in equalizing and democratizing public instirutions in South Africa.

scholarly journals Affirmative action: Pre-implementation criteria, purpose and satisfaction with diversity management

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 683-691
Author(s):  
Atasha Reddy ◽  
Sanjana Brijball Parumasur
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Affirmative Action ◽  
Random Sampling ◽  
Diversity Management ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Diversity Issues ◽  
Self Administered Questionnaire

This study assesses employees’ perceptions of the important criteria that need to be in place before the implementation of Affirmative Action, the purpose of Affirmative Action and, their level of satisfaction with the manner in which diversity issues are communicated and managed in the organization. The study was undertaken in a public sector Electricity Department in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The population includes 100 employees in the organization, from which a sample of 81 was drawn using simple random sampling. Data was collected using a self-developed, pre-coded, self-administered questionnaire whose reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicate that employees felt that preparing them and managers is imperative for the successful implementation and management of Affirmative action and diversity issues. Whilst employees understood the purposes of Affirmative Action, all employees, irrespective of gender, age, language, tenure and race, are unhappy with the manner in which diversity issues are communicated and managed in the organization

scholarly journals WHO ARE THE TRUE BENEFICIARIES OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION? Solidarity obo Barnard v SAPS 2010 5 BLLR 561 (LC)

Obiter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muriel Mushariwa
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Affirmative Action ◽  
South African ◽  
The United States ◽  
Case Note ◽  
Not Given ◽  
African Society ◽  
Employment Opportunities ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Action Measures

Affirmative action measures within the workplace seek to ensure equal employment opportunities and create a workforce that is representative of South African society. One of the issues faced by employers in implementing affirmative action is the question of who should be a beneficiary of affirmative action. This case note seeks to answer this question by looking at the definition given to beneficiaries of affirmative action and the concept of disadvantage. The first part of the article will explore the general objective ofaffirmative action and the two schools of thought on how we identify beneficiaries of affirmative action. I argue that recognition must be given to the fact that individuals who fall within the designated groups are not necessarily equally placed in terms of their experience of disadvantage. I further argue that in recognizing these differing experiences of disadvantage, we can avoid the creation of an elite middle-class black group that benefits from affirmative action to the exclusion of those that truly deserve the protection. The second part of this case note will focus on a landmark decision that highlights the difficulties encountered by employers in fulfilling their obligation of implementing affirmative action policies. In the last part of this case note I shall comment on the lessons that can be drawn from the case. I shall compare the development of affirmative action in the United States and India with that of South Africa in order to show the constitutional principles that need to be advanced within such a social transitional programme and recommend that affirmative action as a means to an end needs to evolve with the understanding that it functions within an ever changing social and economic environment. If such changes are ignored the true beneficiaries of affirmative action are not given recognition and the desired end of creating a workforce representative of South African society and thus reaching our goal of equality cannot be realized.

scholarly journals Local service delivery enhancement – attitudes: a case study of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Israel Tsatsire ◽  
John Derek Taylor ◽  
Kishore Raga
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Institutional Capacity ◽  
Local Service ◽  
Empirical Survey ◽  
Nelson Mandela ◽  
Basic Services ◽  
The Republic

In this article, the new developmental mandate as s igned to local government is reviewed using the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (hereafter referred to as the NMBM) as a case study. The concept of developmental local government is of cardinal importance as it imposes additional specific obligations on municipal councils. In addition, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (hereafter referred to as the Constitution) requires local government to render quality, affordable and sustainable basic services. Therefore, councillors are now required to meet specific Constitutional and other developmental legislative prescriptions pertaining to their communities and areas of jurisdiction.An empirical survey was conducted at the NMBM to test selected senior officials and councillors’ attitudinal responses to service delivery and the new developmental mandate as s igned to local government. The survey intended to es tabl ish whether there was institutional capacity to enhance basic service delivery. These findings are elaborated upon in this article.

scholarly journals Unisa v Reynhardt [2010] 12 BLLR 1272 (LAC): Does Affirmative Action have a Lifecycle?

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 411
Author(s):  
Muriel Mushariwa
Keyword(s):  
Affirmative Action ◽  
Life Span ◽  
The Other ◽  
Reverse Discrimination ◽  
Employment Equity ◽  
Affirmative Action Policy ◽  
Qualified Candidate ◽  
Adequate Representation ◽  
Action Policy ◽  
Action Measures

The Employment Equity Act (EEA) was enacted to achieve equity in the workplace by prohibiting unfair discrimination and by requiring the implementation of affirmative action measures to ensure the adequate representation of designated groups. To ensure compliance with the EEA a designated employer must ensure that it formulates an affirmative action policy within which employment equity targets are stipulated and met. One of the on-going debates around affirmative action is whether it has a life-span. One school of thought argues that affirmative action requires a legislated sunset clause, in which considerations of race, gender and disability will no longer be implemented by employers, instead of which each employer will look to employ a candidate who is suitably qualified for the vacant post. The other school of thought argues that the need for affirmative action is two-fold: to redress past inequalities, but also to deal with existing inequalities within society. Having a sunset clause this would negate the aim of affirmative action to deal effectively with both kinds of inequalities and also the creation of a representative workforce. In the case of UNISA v Reynhardt it was held that once an employer has reached his employment equity targets it is no longer justifiable for it to apply affirmative action, but that the principle to be applied is that the most suitably qualified candidate is to be appointed. The non-application of affirmative action is subject to an employer’s commitment to meeting employment equity targets and a recognition by the employer that once these targets are reached they must be maintained within the organisation. Consequently, once a disparity exists, affirmative action must again be applied, resulting in the imputation of a distinct lifecycle to affirmative action. Failure on the part of the employer to do this would have the potential of creating reverse discrimination against employees who are not the beneficiaries of affirmative action.

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