The fact that the composition of staff in Higher Education institutions fails to reflect the demographic realities of South Africa and that Black people and women are still severely underrepresented, especially in senior academic and management positions, provided a compelling motivation for this study. The researcher argues that this scenario continues to persist despite the promulgation of several pieces of legislation and policy since 1994 namely, the Labour Relations Act, the Employment Equity Act, the Higher Education Act, the White Paper on Affirmative Action and the National Plan for Higher Education.
This study reveals the academic staff attitudes and perceptions of the practice and procedures related to Affirmative Action/Employment Equity at Higher Education institutions in KwaZulu-Natal. Major research in this regard is limited in South Africa.
The study also traced the efficacy of Affirmative Action/Employment Equity policies in three developed and three developing countries in the world. This review contributed significantly towards developing data gathering tools, the evaluation of findings and the recommendations for effective implementation of Affirmative Action/Employment Equity in Higher Education institutions.
The research methodology utilized in the study were both qualitative and descriptive in nature and an interview schedule and a questionnaire were employed to obtain data from a probability sample of permanently employed academic staff (faculty) from six Higher Education institutions in KwaZulu-Natal. The general conclusions derived from the study include, inter alia , a profound misconception of the concept Affirmative Action/Employment Equity, the principles underlying it and the rejection of the concept 'designated group' as beneficiaries of Affirmative Action/Employment Equity policy. The findings also revealed that the implementation of Affirmative Action/Employment Equity policies were fragmented and the existing plans appeared to be merely a response to legislative requirements rather than a genuine commitment to Affirmative Action/Employment Equity.
Among the many recommendations made was the development of a guideline document that outlines the process and substantive issues to be considered for effective implementation of Affirmative Action/Employment Equity policies. The study also makes an urgent call for research in specific areas related to Affirmative Action/Employment Equity.
