Abstract
The exclusion of Africans, women and the disabled from employment and
active participation in the economy, has until recent years been a defining
characteristic of the South African private and public sectors. As far back as
the founding of the Union of South Africa in 1910, laws were passed to improve
the lot of the White minority at the expense of other population groups. Blacks,
women and the disabled were considered second class citizens not deserving
equal and fair treatment in employment or any other vital aspect of life. The
post-1994 democratically elected government inherited the negative legacy
of apartheid and thus found itself responsible for correcting the many societal
injustices and imbalances of the past.
This article investigates the progress made by the post-apartheid government,
if any, in promulgating and implementing policies to address the imbalances of the
past. More specifically, the focus of the article is on assessing the effectiveness with
which the Employment Equity Act, 1998 (no. 55 of 1998) is being implemented
in the public service. The study demonstrates that progress has been made in
employing Blacks and women, but not in employing the disabled. Possible causes
and remedies to address the poor representation of disabled persons in the public
service were also addressed. The former National Department of Agriculture is
used as a practical case study to add empirical evidence in support of literature
survey and anecdotal data.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:tut/oai:encore.tut.ac.za:d1001177 |
| Date | 13 September 2010 |
| Creators | Moeti, KB, Zondi, D |
| Publisher | Journal of Public Administration |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | |
| Rights | Journal of Public Administration |
| Relation | South African Journal of Public Management |
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