21 June 2007
The department of labour's employment equity team is to embark on an
intensive five-week road show to encourage large employers to report progress
about the legislation online.
The process, which starts on 26 June, forms part of the build-up towards the
1 October deadline.
Employers will be expected to file their reports with the employment equity
directorate between 1 September and 1 October, Zolisa Sigabi, the department's
spokesperson, said today.
She said the campaign will help employers submit "quality" reports by
answering questions dealing with whether they have assigned a senior manager to
implement employment equity in their firms, whether they have consulted with
their employees, whether they have employment equity plans in place and if they
are ready to report to the department.
Sigabi said large employers were those that had 150 employees or more.
She said while the department received more than 300 reports online last
year, it aimed for a "much higher figure" this year. During the roadshows,
which are meant to cover all provinces, business leaders and other stakeholders
will be told about the upgraded system that will acknowledge receipt of the
report.
The road show will include the training of the departmental staff in
provinces and local offices of the department about how they can assist
employers to report online.
The campaign comes two months after the presentation of the 7th Commission
for Employment Equity (CEE) annual report to Labour Minister Membathisi
Mdladlana.
Jimmy Manyi, CEE chairperson, said in the foreword to the report: "Progress
in implementing the Act by employers is still too slow. This snail pace
movement only perpetuates and entrenches the racial and gender disparities that
exist in the South African economy."
This shows that access to opportunities still has a racial and gender bias.
Another marginalised segment of the population comes from people with
disabilities who are quietly left by the wayside. Many employers still take
every opportunity to resist employing people from this group."
Sigabi said those seeking more clarity can use the employment equity numbers
on: 012 309 4589/4738/4037/4423/4043/4898.
Please find the schedule of the road shows below.
Employment Equity road show schedule 2007: External stakeholders
Free State:
Welkom
Date: 26 June 2007
Venue: Abingoni Trading 41CC
Time: 10h00�12h00
Bloemfontein
Date: 27 June 2007
Venue: 7 Day Adventist Church
Time: 10h00�12h00
Northern Cape:
Upington
Date: 26 June 2007
Time: 10h00�12h00
Venue: Protea Hotel
Kimberly
Date: 27 June 2007
Time: 10h00�12h00
Venue: Flamingo casino
KwaZulu-Natal:
Pietermaritzburg
Date: 3 July 2007
Time: 10h00�12h00
Venue: City Royal Hotel
Durban
Date: 4 July 2007
Time: 10h00-12h00
Venue: Coastland Convention Centre
Limpopo:
Thohoyandou
Date: 3 July 2007
Time: 10h00�12h00
Venue: Tuskers Restaurant
Pietersburg
Date: 4 July 2007
Time: 10h00�12h00
Venue: Cosmo Lodge
Mpumalanga:
Nelspruit
Time: 10 July 2007
Date: 10h00�12h00
Venue: Bundu Country Lodge
Witbank
Date: 11 July 2007
Time: 10h00�12h00
Venue: The Ridge Casino
North West:
10 July 2007
Brits
Time: 10h00�12h00
Rustenburg
Time: 14h00�16h00
Mafikeng
Date: 11 July 2007
Time: 10h00�12h00
Venue: To be confirmed
Eastern Cape:
Port Elizabeth
Date: 17 July 2007
Time: 10h00�12h00
East London
Date: 18 July 2007
Time: 10h00�12h00
Venues: To be confirmed
Western Cape:
George
Date: 24 July 2007
Time: 10h00�12h00
Cape Town
Date: 25 July 2007
Time: 10h00�12h00
Venues: To be confirmed
Gauteng:
30 July 2007
Vanderbijlpark
Time: 10h00�12h00
Johannesburg
Time: 12h00�14h00
Krugersdorp
Time: 14h00�16h00
Venues: To be confirmed
31 July 2007
Pretoria
Time: 10h00�12h00
Venue: To be confirmed
Enquiries:
Zolisa Sigabi
Cell: 082 906 3878
E-mail: zolisa.sigabi@labour.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Labour
21 June 2007
Source: Department of Labour (http://www.labour.gov.za)
