ActionSA has expressed concern over some targets contained within the draft Employment Equity Act (EEA) regulations, published by Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi.

The party believes that these targets could lead to people who were previously disadvantaged being excluded from becoming employed.

ActionSA president Herman Mashaba also pointed out “that the targets may introduce an additional bureaucratic hurdle and increase the cost of doing business, which may adversely impact job creation in South Africa, leaving the poor and unemployed in an even poorer situation”.

Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen asserted that the draft EEA regulations were untenable as they marginalised specific racial groups and impeded their ability to receive employment. 

“Its effect will be to stunt social mobility and increase division as workers from certain communities are discouraged from moving into ‘no-go zones’ where they are not welcome,” the DA leader said.

ActionSA wants government to meaningfully consider the impediments some groups may face owing to the draft regulations and encourages the provision of support mechanisms to ensure that affected individuals are able to prosper.

Mashaba relied on the recently published Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, which highlighted that 81% of learners in Grade 4 are unable to read for meaning, to argue that poverty and unemployment continued to be perpetuated particularly among people unable to afford quality education, which explained their inability to make economic progress.

“As part of our Inaugural Policy Conference in September 2023, ActionSA will be tabling our policies aimed at addressing the issue of economic justice, and building a more inclusive economy for all South Africans,” Mashaba said.