The perspectives of employment equity practitioners on the implementation of employment equity in South African public universities

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the perspectives of Employment Equity (EE) practitioners regarding the implementation of EE in South African public universities. Guided by an interpretivist paradigm and an exploratory research design, the study adopted a phenomenological approach to capture practitioners’ lived experiences. The target population comprised all 26 EE practitioners employed across South Africa’s public universities. Data were collected primarily through focus group interviews, supported by semi-structured interview guides, participant observation, and reflexive note-taking. Thematic analysis, grounded in phenomenological principles, revealed that EE implementation is largely perceived as compliance-driven rather than transformative. Key challenges included limited EE knowledge and capacity among line managers and staff, the absence of diversity and inclusion as core institutional values, and structural and governance mechanisms that constrain effective implementation. Based on these findings, the study proposed four clusters of guidelines: strengthening governance and accountability, developing sustainable talent pipelines, enhancing representativeness through deliberate EE practices, and transforming institutional culture to support inclusivity.

Hierdie kwalitatiewe studie het die perspektiewe van Diensbillikheidspraktisyns ondersoek met betrekking tot die implementering van diensbillikheid in Suid-Afrikaanse openbare universiteite. Gelei deur ’n interpretivistiese paradigma en ’n verkennende navorsingsontwerp, het die studie ’n fenomenologiese benadering gevolg om praktisyns se beleefde ervarings vas te vang. Die teikenpopulasie het bestaan uit 26 diensbillikheidspraktisyns, werksaam by Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite. Data is ingesamel deur middel van fokusgroep-onderhoude, semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude, deelnemerwaarneming en reflektiewe aantekeninge. Tematiese analise, gegrond in fenomenologiese beginsels, het getoon dat die implementering van diensbillikheid grootliks as nakomingsgedrewe eerder as transformerend ervaar word. Sleuteluitdagings sluit in beperkte diensbilliheid kennis en -kapasiteit onder lynbestuurders en personeel, die afwesigheid van diversiteit en inklusiwiteit as kritiese institusionele waardes, asook strukturele en bestuursmeganismes wat effektiewe implementering beperk. Op grond van hierdie bevindings het die studie vier groepe riglyne voorgestel: die versterking van bestuur en aanspreeklikheid teenoor diensbillikheid, die ontwikkeling van volhoubare talentpyplyne, die bevordering van verteenwoordigendheid deur doelgerigte diensbilliheidspraktyke, en die transformasie van institusionele kultuur om inklusiwiteit te ondersteun.