DUMA GQUBULE: Time for quotas to chisel away rock of institutional racism
New report shows private sector has made little or no progress with employment equity in a decade
Five years ago a large JSE-listed company asked me to help it develop an employment equity strategy. It soon became clear that this would be a difficult assignment. The first thing I noticed was the underrepresentation of African women. When I interviewed the head of human resources, she replied: “African women think this is a glamorous job.”
After interviewing many people in focus groups I went to the board subcommittee, which included the CEO and COO, with a long report that told a story of institutional racism within the company. But it was also clear that this was just one symptom of deeper rot and a toxic culture. It was such a traumatic experience I decided never to do such work again. Later, a private equity team took over the company and fired the CEO and COO...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.