Business Unity SA (Busa) has welcomed a report by the Commission for Employment Equity on transformation.
“While we are pleased with the progress achieved by the seven companies identified in the report, we acknowledge that more should be done to improve private sector compliance with the Employment Equity Act,” Busa CEO Nomaxabiso Majokweni said on Wednesday.
The report released in Parliament on Tuesday showed that Africans were represented by an even smaller percentage in top management than last year - 18.5 percent, compared to 18.8 percent.
Whites made up 65.4 percent of top management positions, a slight decline from 68.1 percent last year.
The decline was attributed to a small increase in the representation of coloureds from 3.9 percent to 4.8 percent, Indians from 6.1 percent to 7.5 percent and foreigners from 3.1 percent to 3.9 percent.
The figures were in contrast with the overall population profile of South Africa.
Blacks constituted 78.9 percent of the population, whites 9.6 percent, coloureds 9.1 percent and Indians 2.9 percent.
Majokweni said it was regrettable that the country still had to contend with a slow pace of economic transformation.
“We also note and acknowledge there are some impediments in our system... particularly the continued failure of the education system and colleges to produce candidates who are qualified and suitable to the needs of business,” she said.
Majokweni said Busa had concluded negotiations at National Economic Development and Labour Council on amendments to the Employment Equity Act.
Busa believed that enhancing the capacity of the labour inspectorate would also help improve compliance with employment equity imperatives, as set out in chapter three of the act, she said. - Sapa