The charts illustrate the ethnic and racial composition of top management positions in South Africa in 2015/16, with a further breakdown comparing the public and private sectors.
Overall, white South Africans overwhelmingly dominated top management roles, while Africans were significantly underrepresented, particularly in the private sector. Marked differences are also evident between public and private employment patterns.
According to the pie chart, white employees accounted for by far the largest share of top management posts, at 68.9%. Africans made up 14.3%, followed by Indians at 8.5% and Coloureds at 4.7%. Foreign nationals represented the smallest proportion, at just 3.5%. This distribution highlights a strong imbalance in senior leadership positions across racial groups.
The bar chart reveals sharp contrasts between sectors. In the public sector, Africans formed the majority of top managers (73.2%), whereas their representation in the private sector was minimal, at only 10.8%. The opposite pattern is observed for whites, who occupied 72.4% of private-sector top management roles but only 12.6% in the public sector. Indians and Coloureds held relatively small shares in both sectors, though their presence was slightly higher in private employment. Foreign nationals remained marginal in both sectors, accounting for 3.6% in private and 0.4% in public institutions.
In summary, while the public sector showed greater racial diversity and stronger African representation, top management in the private sector remained heavily dominated by white South Africans, indicating persistent inequality at senior leadership levels.