It’s concerning that in a country where the majority of the population comprises Black South Africans, they constitute the minority within the IT industry. Additionally, the issue of gender inequality persists in IT, with females remaining underrepresented both in IT classes and in the workplace. The aim of this study was to examine the impact that pair programming has on shaping the experiences and perceptions of underrepresented minority students in Information Technology (IT) in South Africa. The study included a total of 284 first-year students taking a User Interface programming module. The students were given the opportunity to pick a desired programming partner and for the duration of the semester, they programmed in pairs. At the end of the semester, the students completed a questionnaire. The findings suggested that the group of students had a positive experience with pair programming. However, the underrepresented minority students had an even more positive learning experience with pair programming. The female students (White and Black) and male Black students perceived pair programming in an exceedingly positive light, as it improved their overall programming skills and teamwork skills. It can be recommended that with timely training and adequate implementation of the pair programming principles, all students, but indeed more so the underrepresented minority students in a programming course can reap the benefits of the use of pair programming. This approach may attract and increase the retention rate of underrepresented groups in IT and encourage them to further pursue IT careers in South Africa.