Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / The purpose of this study was to investigate challenges in the implementation of Employment Equity Act in the University of Limpopo. The design of the research in this study is both qualitative and quantitative. Data were collected from HODs and Human Resources Officers. Structured interviews and questionnaires were used to collect data form the participants. Data were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Results revealed that there are more males in Senior Management levels than females in the University. Data further showed that the majority of Senior Management fall under age category 50-64 years old. The results show that most of the respondents hold highest qualifications which is masters and doctoral degree. It was found that most of the respondents are from Sepedi and Tshivenda speaking communities. The finding revealed that the University of Limpopo has been implementing the Employment Equity Act. However, the implementation of the EEA encountered certain challenges including among other resistant to change, poor networking, lack of employment equity awareness, undermining of the HR Officers by Selection Committee members and lack of qualified people with disabilities in certain positions. Another finding shows that the University has Employment Equity Plan with numerical target to be achieved. It found that the successful implementation of EEA will address the problem of unfair discrimination that people suffered as a result of race, gender, disability and sexual orientation. The findings further show that the University is strictly adhering to the stipulations of the EEA. It was found that employees in the University are not well informed of the Employment Equity Policies. Another finding shows that the University Employment Equity has been a very useful tool to promote equality in the University. The study recommends that the University should not deviate from the EEA especially when filling positions reserved for designated groups. It is recommended that HODs should familiarize themselves with the Act. It is recommended that the University use provincial demographics to set the EE targets. University must have EE Plan targets on the agenda at all meetings of the University’s Executive Committees. It is recommended that further discussion and monitoring need to be conducted at Executive Management level.

Important changes that have taken place within South African politics mean that most companies today are under pressure to implement affirmative action (AA) policies within their organisations (equity policies). These AA policies include employment equity (EE) policies and Black economic empowerment (BEE) policies. Company agendas now include aspects such as equality and social justice and organisations will continue to be evaluated in terms of how well they meet employment equity targets. Many employees and citizens in general view the process and implementation of these policies with great scepticism and even reluctance. It is important to understand and examine these perceptions because employee perceptions influence employee attitudes and behaviour and therefore have an effect on the success (or failure) of an organisation. The effective implementation of EE and BEE policies will to a large extent depend on whether or not these policies fit into the overall culture of an organisation or whether the organisational culture is adapted to accommodate these policies. Previously, corporate cultures largely ignored principles of diversity and difference. It is important that the question of whether this has changed or changed to a large enough degree be answered, especially with regard to the implementation of EE and BEE policies. Some EE and BEE programmes may fail because previous structures, cultural systems and management styles are adhered to without adapting these to suit the needs of these policies. Ultimately, employees’ perceptions of AA in their organisation, namely the EE and BEE policies that are implemented, influence the attitudes and behaviour of employees and ultimately the success of the organisation. These perceptions are related to the culture of the organisation. This study explores employee perceptions of equity policies, specifically EE and BEE, in terms of differences in demographic characteristics, including race, gender, age, years’ service and occupational level; as well as relative to the main factors of these equity policies, as confirmed by a factor analysis performed on the data, namely the importance, impact and clarity of these policies. The sample company’s organisational culture is also explored in terms of these equity policies and perceptions thereof. The ultimate goal of this research is to examine if any relationships exist between the implementation of organisational cultural practices in an organisation relative to equity policies and employee perceptions of these, and if any relationships do exist, to determine the nature of such relationships. The sample size in this study is 476 employees. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted