# Regulatory Compliance Category > BEE and Employment Equity Forum >  Labour on Employment Equity deadline

## I Robot

Drive to highlight looming Employment Equity deadline   

23 July 2009 

It's that time of the year in the South African labour market calendar when employers are required to submit their Employment Equity (EE) Reports. In an effort to remind and assist employers go through the annual exercise without much hassle, the Labour Department will on Tuesday, 28 July 2009, kick-off its nationwide awareness campaign in the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces, launching a series of its month-long road shows scheduled to end in August. 

New amended regulations aimed at making reporting by employers short and easy will be demonstrated at the road shows. According to Labour Spokesperson Page Boikanyo, the new abridged method had resulted from numerous complaints by employers about the lengthy forms they always had to complete. 

"While the new method entails simplified forms, the data and the integrity of the system have not been sacrificed. We would, however, also urge for the continued use of on-line report-filing by companies ahead of the October 1 deadline. 

The department had been encouraged by the fact that in 2008, more than half (over 4 000) of those who submitted their equity reports did so on-line. 

"A lot of people, however, still do not realise that filling in the forms is not the only EE requirement as the real work is reporting on progress made at the workplace in regard to transformation. This entails consultation, audit and analysis as well as proper employment equity plan and the achievement of numerical goals," Boikanyo said. 

Next week's road shows in the two provinces will last for about three hours each. The media is invited. Details of venues and time are as follows: 

Northern Cape Roadshow:
Venue: Flamingo Casino, Kimberley
Duration: 10h00 to 13h00 

Enquiries:
Anne Du Plessis
Tel: 053- 838 153 

Mpumalanga Roadshow:
Venue: Protea Hotel Witbank, Witbank
Duration: 10h00 to 13h00 

Georgina Malatsi
Tel: 013 655 8789 

Tony Mphahlele
Cell: 079 986 9850 

Enquiries:
Page Boikanyo
Cell: 082 809 3195

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## I Robot

Employment Equity Campaign off to a good start   

28 July 2009 

The 2009 Employment Equity (EE) campaign got off to a flying start today with double launches in the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces with government’s social partners business and organised labour out in full force to learn more on the new EE legislation requirements as well as the on-line report filing method. 

Employers still using the manual report filing system have until 1 October 2009 to submit their reports, while those utilising the on-line method have a September 2009 to January 2010 deadline to do so. 

The month long road shows give stakeholders an opportunity to interact and assist each other on the correct interpretation of the EE laws and how to go about the much user friendly process of submitting reports entailing a simplified paperwork. 

Since 2008 the numbers of employers opting for the on-line route have been growing, with over 4 000 of them submitting, but as the workshops demonstrated today, many others still needed to know more about this. The road shows’ next destination will be KwaZulu-Natal and Free State provinces both on 11 August 2009, while the campaign is scheduled to fold on 26 August 2009.

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## I Robot

Employment Equity deadline just around the corner    

7 September 2009 

With the submission date for Employment Equity report approaching, the Department of Labour has called on employers to hand in their reports in time. 

This comes after the rigorous nationwide roadshow advising employers to comply with the equity law requirement. 

Ntsoaki Mamashela, Employment Equity director at the department said, ”With only three weeks remaining we urge employers to submit their reports.” Mamashela’s call comes hot on the heels of the launch of the 9th Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) report which shows that the South African workplace is far from being transformed with white males occupying 61 percent of top management posts and still enjoying 48 percent of all recruitments. 

In his recent address to the media, Labour Minister, Membathisi Mdladlana said 44.7 percent of all employees promoted to top management level were white males whereas African males represent only 9.8 percent and enjoy only 12.6 percent of all recruitment and 12.7 percent of employees promoted to this level. 

In another development, Department of Labour’s new Director-General, Jimmy Manyi, has shattered the myth of a skills shortage in the country both technically and academically. Manyi said the majority of people who are skilled in the country are Africans. 

“Despite this, when you go to middle and top management, the picture is reversed because a glass ceiling is introduced. Quite clearly, we have come to accept that there is no will power to appoint black people to positions of authority” Manyi said. He asked if why is it that some people cannot accept black competence and claimed that this was in line with global racism that prevails. Manyi has also called for an amendment to the law to deal with non-compliant companies. He said time had come for the state to refuse to do business with companies that fail to comply with the law.

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## Dave A

> when you go to middle and top management, the picture is reversed because a glass ceiling is introduced.


I wonder what the average age is in top management?
And what the average industry experience is?

I can't help but think that Membathisi and Jimmy are underestimating the importance of experience in a career path when they pull these numbers, particularly for top management. The real glass ceiling is experience and *demonstrated* competence.

Entry level skills representivity seems to have improved drastically. I predict the progression through to top management will come.

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## sterne.law@gmail.com

Yes, companies using the bottom up approach, I believe will benefit and see sustainability. This is a key concept of the newer BBBEE on the previous BEE. Companies had the quick fix for BEE by appointing directors and selling shares(although many sales did not transfer into real equity) This also meant the same economically well off "Black" peoples benefited and not the middle and bottom. the thought [process was that the guys at the top would drive transformation downwards. the new scorecards of BBBEE provide for a better all round and more sustainable transformation. The bottom up approach is how the good business leaders woudl go.   On a side note I had teh thought for our sporting codes to consider a BBBEE scorecard process to drive transformation from a bottom up perspective, rather than top down which never really goes down.

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