In recent times, the South African bakery industry has gone under intense competition that threatens the survival of players within the sector. An identified bakery firm located in the City of Tshwane is not immune to the problem. Faced with fierce competition from established bakery firms such as Albany, Sasko, Supreme, Blue Ribbon and retail own brands such as Shoprite, Spar and Pick n Pay, the bakery firm urgently need to rethink its strategy to secure its survival. An assessment of total quality management (TQM) on the operations of the bakery firm is a recommended strategy for continuous improvement and gaining a competitive edge. It is therefore important in this study to understand employees’ perceptions of total quality management and establish its impact on operational performance. For the sake of bringing this study into operation, the researcher utilised a descriptive research design. Data was collected through a well-structured questionnaire from a sample of 110 employees working for the bakery firm. Analyses of data that include mean values, standard deviation, correlation and regression analyses was performed through the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Results showed that employees had a negative perception on total quality management factors that include leadership, knowledge management, supplier management, customer focus, employee involvement and process management. A significant positive relationship was also found between total quality management (leadership, knowledge management, supplier management, customer focus, employee involvement and process management) and operational performance. This study also provides recommendations to authorities within the bakery industry so as to improve total quality management and operational performances

Key words: African Bakery Industry, Total quality management, operations performance, City of Tshwane, leadership, support management, knowledge management

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Ms. Syria Sibongile Chauke