Affirmative action in the South African Police Service (SAPS): an exploratory study

Abstract

The study was about the transformation of the South African Police Service (SAPS) under the ANC-led democratic government. It sought to evaluate and critique the effectiveness of the affirmative action and promotion policies that were developed by the SAPS management in 1994. Furthermore, it aimed at gathering empirical evidence to test the accuracy of the assumption that the SAPS management, especially at middle management, is not committed to transformation, and that has resulted in low morale and racial tensions. Lack of commitment has in turn, resulted in gross negligence of the training needs for those Blacks who are either functionally illiterate or poorly educated. This left them with virtually no prospects of promotion. This, in turn, impacted negatively on the aims of the affirmative action program. The study was located within South Africa’s historical context. This was necessary because it provided a background against which problems experienced by the SAPS in respect to transformation and affirmative action should be understood.