GOOD Statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
23 May 2023
Government hasn’t done a great job explaining to citizens the necessity for new regulations under the Employment Equity Act.
The latest reports of the Commission for Employment Equity and StatsSA paint a painful picture of exclusion from the economy nearly three decades after apartheid.
Sixty-three percent of top management positions in the country are occupied by white employees; 74% by men and 1.6% by people with disabilities. The rate of unemployment among white South Africans is 9.4% compared to 47.3% for blacks.
The publication of proposed new employment equity regulations, for public comment, is manna from heaven for politicians invested in the maintenance of divisive rhetoric. Trust in government is at an all-time low, social stability is tenuous and there’s a general election on the horizon…
Manna from heaven that DA leader John Steenhuisen couldn’t resist. As an unqualified white male who earns in the top ten percent of South Africa’s salaries, Steenhuisen embodies un-earned privilege and inequality in South Africa.
Steenhuisen’s party depends for its support on members of minorities who feel alienated from the concepts of nation-building and inclusion. By calling on South Africans to defy employment equity regulations, he appeals to those who believe inequality is acceptable.
Affirmative action to right historical exclusions and mitigate irrational bias in the employment space is not unique to South Africa. In other parts of the world it is a tool used to address employment biases against minorities.
South Africa’s Employment Equity Act and the proposed regulations seek to entice businesses employing 50 people or more to set targets to address the persistent legacy of racial and disability bias in employment – especially in senior and top management roles. Although the Act and regulations are not perfect, we can’t continue to ignore glaring inequalities in workspaces.
Steenhuisen’s frothy insistence that the draft regulations will prevent South African from being appointed to jobs they are qualified to do is simply untrue.
All South Africans including Steenhuisen have responsibilities to build a country of fairness and justice for all. When we have made more progress addressing inequalities, and the shadows of apartheid finally recede, target setting will become unnecessary.
If Steenhuisen doesn’t associate with these goals he should trek to Orania.
Media Enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
Cell: 082 518 3264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Janke Tolmay, GOOD Media Manager
Cell: 073 367 1223
Email: janke@forgood.org.za