An investigation by the Department of Labour on affirmative action policy implementation across the country has uncovered that more than 70% of top management positions in the Eastern Cape are occupied by white males.
The figures further show that only 18% of top management positions in the province are held by blacks.
This was announced by the Department’s Employment Equity directorate at two roadshows held in the province this week.
The workshops held under the theme: “Transformation – makes business sense”, were held in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday and East London on Wednesday.
Commenting on the announcement, Black Management Forum’s deputy president Dumisani Mpafa said that had the investigation been conducted only on private corporates the figure of white male dominance in management would have been much higher.
“We should not be surprised that this 70.4% figure will go to over 80% next year. This is actually very frustrating because we are regressing in terms of employment equity.
“Reality is that these people own these companies and they make decisions.
“Maybe our focus all along has been wrong to hope that they will drive transformation.
“We need to deal with ownership first, and once we own these institutions, only then can we expect real transformation,” Mpafa said.
Department of Labour spokesman Mokgadi Pela said that the purpose of the roadshow was to create awareness about employment equity.
He said the department was also trying to crack the whip on employers who did not abide by the department’s Code of Good Practice on Employment of Persons with Disabilities.
“The employment profile for each employer has to represent the population demographic of the province. We are calling on all employers big and small to provide us with their employment equity plans.
“We want to know what stages they are in and their goals or targets with regards to transformation. They are required to indicate how they are going to transform their own workplace,” Pela said.
Asked whether the department was concerned with employment statistics that seemed to favour a particular gender and race, Pela said the department was going after all employers who did not adhere to the Employment Equity Act.
“As the department we are very concerned about these glaring disparities; we want to see a quick transformation of a bigger margin.
“When you do not transform the labour market it means that as a country we are depriving ourselves of the skills that are laying unused,” he said.
Next week two workshops will be held on September 12 and 13 in George and Cape Town in the Western Cape.
The roadshows wind up on September 19 and 20 in Pretoria and at Birchwood in Boksburg, Gauteng respectively. — siphem@dispatch.co.za
EC lags in top level transformation
The figures further show that only 18% of top management positions in the province are held by blacks.
This was announced by the Department’s Employment Equity directorate at two roadshows held in the province this week.
The workshops held under the theme: “Transformation – makes business sense”, were held in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday and East London on Wednesday.
Commenting on the announcement, Black Management Forum’s deputy president Dumisani Mpafa said that had the investigation been conducted only on private corporates the figure of white male dominance in management would have been much higher.
“We should not be surprised that this 70.4% figure will go to over 80% next year. This is actually very frustrating because we are regressing in terms of employment equity.
“Reality is that these people own these companies and they make decisions.
“Maybe our focus all along has been wrong to hope that they will drive transformation.
“We need to deal with ownership first, and once we own these institutions, only then can we expect real transformation,” Mpafa said.
Department of Labour spokesman Mokgadi Pela said that the purpose of the roadshow was to create awareness about employment equity.
He said the department was also trying to crack the whip on employers who did not abide by the department’s Code of Good Practice on Employment of Persons with Disabilities.
“The employment profile for each employer has to represent the population demographic of the province. We are calling on all employers big and small to provide us with their employment equity plans.
“We want to know what stages they are in and their goals or targets with regards to transformation. They are required to indicate how they are going to transform their own workplace,” Pela said.
Asked whether the department was concerned with employment statistics that seemed to favour a particular gender and race, Pela said the department was going after all employers who did not adhere to the Employment Equity Act.
“As the department we are very concerned about these glaring disparities; we want to see a quick transformation of a bigger margin.
“When you do not transform the labour market it means that as a country we are depriving ourselves of the skills that are laying unused,” he said.
Next week two workshops will be held on September 12 and 13 in George and Cape Town in the Western Cape.
The roadshows wind up on September 19 and 20 in Pretoria and at Birchwood in Boksburg, Gauteng respectively. — siphem@dispatch.co.za
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