HR practitioners’ perceptions of the implementation of equal employment provision under a selected subdivision of the SA labour legislation

Abstract

Affirmative action was an initiative created by the government in an attempt to readdress the imbalances of the past in response to the discrimination of “non-whites”. The discrimination faced by the designated “non-whites” referred to the limited access to jobs, facilities and education opportunities to mention a few. It is this setting of discrimination that created the setting for the racially charged society of today. However, while Affirmative action has been proclaimed as a method of restoring the equilibrium to previously disadvantaged groups, it has not been met with the enthusiasm envisioned by policymakers. Thus, the aim of this study is to delve into the real life application of affirmative action from the perspective of human resource professionals within the current employment market. The study adopted the Interpretivism research paradigm, wherein primary data was collected using the qualitative design.