Affirmative action benefits a select few at the top and not the majority of the population living in abject poverty, writes Luyando Katiyatiya ALTHOUGH affirmative action has been practised in SA for quite some time, it still fails to bring about substantive or structural change.Affirmative action may change the racial and gender composition of the workplace, but it does not address the challenges that cause the disadvantages of marginalised groups in the first place.It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that affirmative action has increased inequality by benefiting a select few at the top and not the majority of the population living in abject poverty.Rethinking the policy is necessary to genuinely remedy the effects apartheid had on the wellbeing of the disadvantaged. This includes addressing the limitations on acquiring the characteristics needed to suitably qualify for opportunities.The reliance on anti-discrimination laws along a single axis of legal identity fails to unpack the ma...
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