Department of Employment and Labour Deputy Director, Masilo Lefika, said employers will have the option to use the applicable national or regional Economically Active Population (EAP) population as an instrument when developing EE Plans and setting annual numerical targets in their workplaces.

Presenting on the subject - EE general administrative regulations and sector targets 2025 - before an overflowing house, Lefika said 2025 was a base year to set targets, and employers will start being measured on the achievement of their targets in 2026.

Lefika was addressing stakeholders during an EE workshop held at Cedar Woods Conference Centre in Sandton. The 2025 EE workshops are held under the theme: “Bridging the Equity Gap Through Diversity & Inclusion". 

The latest workshop is part of a series that will be held nationally by the Department of Employment and Labour, the Commission for Employment Equity (CEE), and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). The national workshops/roadshows are part of an advocacy campaign to engage with various stakeholders in the labour market on the implementation of the new legislation and its regulations.

Lefika said when developing EE Plans and setting annual numerical targets in their workplaces in terms of legislation, designated employers must take into account: the workforce profile, the relevant 5-year sectoral numerical targets, and the applicable EAP.

“EE Regulations prescribe that the plan should not be less than a year and not be more than five years. The setting of plans sets a new project for employers," he said. He cautioned that it was illegal to have a policy that discriminates against non-designated groups. He said sector targets were about addressing past inequities.

“The 5-year sectoral numerical targets are key milestones towards achieving the equitable representation of the different designated groups within the four upper occupational levels in an employer's workforce in relation to the demographics of the applicable EAP, and for persons with disabilities," Lefika said in his presentation.

He said designated employers' compliance will be assessed against their annual targets set towards meeting the relevant 5-year sectoral numerical targets.

According to Lefika, a designated employer will incur no penalty or any form of disadvantage if there are reasonable grounds to justify its failure to comply with any target.

Department of Employment and Labour, Employment Equity Deputy Director, Niresh Singh, said that no one will lose their jobs because of the implementation of the 2022 EE Amendment Act and EE Regulations. He said the law does not allow for unjust dismissal of people.

The latest workshop is part of a series that will be held nationally. The next workshop will be held tomorrow (5 June) in Meriting Event Centre Plot 44, Rosashop in Vanderbijlpark.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Teboho Thejane

Departmental Spokesperson

082 697 0694/ teboho.thejane@labour.gov.za

-ENDS-

Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour

​ 

​​