Career opportunities for black youth in the South African Navy

Abstract

The advent of democracy in South Africa has brought about fundamental changes in the spheres of governance. One of these changes is the transformation of the public service. One of the constitutional imperatives of the country requires all government departments to be representative. The Department of Defence and in particular, the South African Navy (SA Navy) as part of the public service, is also expected to transform to ensure representivity. The SA Navy is not yet representative, specifically in terms of the African composition. The study seeks to establish the extent and knowledge of black youth about careers in the SA Navy. To achieve this, a questionnaire was circulated to various schools for completion. The findings indicate that black youth, specifically those from rural areas are unaware of the available career opportunities in the SA Navy. This could be a major cause of the current equity situation within the department.