The 2023 National Annual Employment Equity Roadshows commenced on the 18th of July 2023 and will be held at venues nationwide from now until September 23. With the kick-off event in Thohoyandou, Limpopo Province, the 2023 workshop introduced the objective of the workshops which is to create awareness regarding the recently promulgated Employment Equity Amendments and to provide updates on the new approach to Employment Equity goal and target setting. The Employment Equity Amendments signed into law by President Ramaphosa in April 2023.
Previously bench-market to the National EAP (Economically Active Populations), the amendments have allowed the Minister of Employment and Labour to re-define these goals, to which point the Minister has identified Sector figures as the new benchmark.
Amongst other significant changes, the amendment empowers the Minister to regulate the sector specific numerical Employment Equity targets to Sector goals and targets, compelling designated companies to re-analyse their workforce profiles to the sector figures and create new Employment Equity plans which will align and show strategies for reaching this goal within the next 5-years. (All current plans must be scraped and aligned once the President signs the proclamation enacting the changes).
In addition to empowering the Minister to regulate the sector-specific numerical EE targets, the objective of the amendments include reducing the regulatory burden for small employers while strengthening compliance which including issuing of EE compliance certificates (ie promulgating Section 53).
Department of Employment and Labour Deputy Director: Employment Equity, Masilo Lefika states, “The amended EE is not in operation yet. The changes will be in operation once the president signs a proclamation. The amended EE is now law but not yet in operation,” Lefika said, noting that this is like Section 53 of EE Act which has always been in place but not in operation.
Designated employers are urged to note that this means the current Employment Equity Act remains as is, until such time as the proclamation is signed. Changes should only be enacted upon once the proclamation has been signed, so employers can begin their annual preparations for the Employment Equity reporting season as per all previous years, until further notice.
The Employment Equity reporting system is being upgraded to facilitate the capturing of the new information. In terms of the setting of goals and targets, the system will revert to zero for year one. Thereafter the system will inform designated employers of failure or success in reaching the targets which they have set for their own companies, which is where the critical changes will begin to take effect. It is at this stage, year 2, that employers will be held accountable for the targets that they have set for their companies.
The remaining EE workshops with venues to-be-confirmed will be held as follows (note that some venues are still to be confirmed):
Mpumalanga
• Nelspruit (Mbombela) – (16 August 2023) – Mercure Nelspruit Hotel Corner N4 &, Graniet St, West Acres
Eastern Cape
• Gqeberha (22 August 2023)
• East London (23 August 2023)
• Mthatha (24 August 2023)
Free State
• Welkom (22 August 2023)
• Bloemfontein (23 August 2023)
KwaZulu-Natal
• Durban (29 August 2023)
Western Cape
• Cape Town (13 September 2023) – Lagoon Beach Hotel & Spa 1 Lagoon Gate Drive, Lagoon Beach