Latest news with #NomakhosazanaMeth
The South African
3 days ago
- Business
- The South African
THESE are the jobs South Africa needs filled in 2025
If you're a school or university leaver, take a look at these jobs South Africa needs filled urgently. Do so and you may secure a career for life, says the Minister for Employment and Labour Nomakhosazana Meth. Specifically, the minister is advocating for skills development to help solve South Africa's high unemployment rate (33%). And while one in every three adults sits without gainful employment, these are the jobs South Africa needs filled … Detractors of the R370 SRD grant say it creates dependance on social welfare and reduces employability. Image: File Beyond our high unemployment rate, Minister Meth believes South African suffers from severe skills mismatch, reports BusinessTech . Responding in a parliamentary Q&A, Meth says school leavers aren't getting training in the jobs South Africa needs filled. Likewise, the South African Social Security Agency was asked to go back to drawing board and rework its 2026 Basic Income Grant proposal. Government wants to see an adaptation of the current Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant with a clearer path towards skills development and employability. Medicine, financial and IT jobs are at the top of the list for South Africa's skills shortage. Image: File As such, Minister Meth says her department is tracking skills shortages and the jobs South Africa needs filled through the Employment Services South Africa (ESSA) database. While many cannot find work, there are 350 occupations in seven categories that carry a high demand score. They are as follows: 1. Medical specialists Psychiatry, Neurology, Oncology, Paediatrics, Pathology (various branches) Dentistry: Prosthodontics, Oral medicine, Maxillofacial surgery Nursing: Perioperative, Emergency, Mental health, Nurse educators Veterinarians, Veterinary nurses Public health professionals 2. Information Technology (IT) ICT security specialists Network analysts & systems engineers 3. Engineering Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, and Mining engineers Mechatronics & Electronics technicians Naval architects & Aeronautical engineers 4. Financial Sector Actuaries Investment analysts & managers Corporate treasurers Internal & external auditors Market research analysts Supply chain & distribution managers 5. Education & Research University lecturers Senior phase and FET schoolteachers (Grades 8–12) Research and development managers 6. Environmental Planning Urban and regional planners Environmental scientists & managers Climate change scientists Oceanographers & hydrologists 7. Technical & Trade Millwrights Lift mechanics Metal machinists Instrumentation technicians Air-conditioning and refrigeration mechanics Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
22-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Will South Africa's 2025 Employment Equity targets disrupt international trade?
Minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth. Image: GCIS South Africa's newly gazetted sectoral employment equity targets could place the country in breach of several international trade agreements – including the World Trade Organization's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), as well as regional protocols under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This is according to Clive Vinti, Head of Research at XA Global Trade Advisors, who says the targets – set to come into effect from September 1 – appear to impose discriminatory limitations on who can be employed in specific sectors, without taking account of the realities of those sectors or the international obligations South Africa has signed up to. The potential trade implications formed part of the legal challenge launched by the National Employers' Association of South Africa (NEASA) and Sakeliga NPC against the Minister of Employment and Labour. The challenge, announced on July 9, was aimed at halting the implementation of the '2025 Targets' and the underlying regulations. Vinti argued that numerical quotas based on national race and gender demographics, if enforced without sector-specific capacity considerations, risk breaching international agreements that explicitly prohibit employment caps in service sectors. Under GATS, for example, member states are barred from placing quantitative limits on the number of people that can be employed in any given service sector. The same provisions are mirrored in AfCFTA and Southern African Development Community protocols, where the focus is on promoting access and non-discrimination in trade in services. In South Africa's case, these equity targets apply to both local and foreign-owned firms operating in the domestic economy. If implemented without regard for the availability of suitably qualified individuals in designated groups, they could act as a barrier to market access, especially for foreign service providers and investors, potentially triggering trade disputes or retaliatory measures. At the heart of the court application filed by NEASA and Sakeliga is the argument that the 2025 targets, which flow from the insertion of section 15A into the Employment Equity Act (EEA), were adopted in breach of procedural and constitutional requirements. The amendment, which came into effect on 1 January 2025, grants the Minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth, the power to set sector-specific numerical employment targets in order to ensure equitable representation at all occupational levels. But the law also requires that such targets be preceded by a public consultation process and that affected sectors be properly identified and engaged. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading According to the applicants, this did not occur. They allege that instead of the minimum 30-day comment period stipulated in the Act, they were given just over a week to respond. Furthermore, while draft targets had been published for public input in 2023 and 2024, this step was skipped entirely for the 2025 targets. NEASA and Sakeliga also argued that the consultation process was neither meaningful nor inclusive. Some sessions were limited to 1 000 virtual attendees and held with little to no advance notice. Employers were allegedly only given access to the proposed targets during or shortly before these meetings. Compounding the procedural issues, the applicants say the Minister used a 'one-size-fits-all' approach in determining the targets – applying blanket increases of 6% to 9% across occupational levels, without regard for each sector's structure, skills availability, growth trajectory, or economic context. This, they argue, rendered the targets arbitrary, irrational and potentially unachievable. The challenge also raised concerns around the impact on women. While women are themselves a designated group under the EEA, the structure of the targets could, paradoxically, disadvantage them by failing to account for intra-group disparities. Crucially, the plaintiffs said that no socio-economic impact assessment had been conducted before gazetting the targets. In their view, this omission made the regulations irrational and placed the policy in conflict with section 9 of the Constitution, which deals with the right to equality and non-discrimination. Beyond constitutional and procedural issues, the applicants highlighted the direct risk to businesses. Companies that fail to meet the new equity targets face penalties of up to R1.5 million or 2% of annual turnover on first offence. Section 53 of the EEA, which is not yet in force, could eventually see non-compliant firms excluded from government procurement processes entirely, with existing state contracts cancelled. 'Since the government is the largest procurer of goods and services in the market, being blocked from trading with it could be fatal to a business,' said Vinti. The equity targets could also affect access to key trade instruments. Duty rebate, increase and reduction applications, often used to support or protect domestic industries, require compliance with labour legislation. Non-compliance may disqualify firms from benefiting from these instruments, weakening their competitiveness both locally and abroad. According to Vinti, these developments have the potential to upend South Africa's trade credibility. The matter is now before the courts, with NEASA and Sakeliga seeking an urgent interim interdict to halt the targets' implementation while the High Court considers the lawfulness and constitutionality of the regulations. 'The ball is now in the court of the Minister,' said Vinti. IOL
IOL News
18-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Exploring mixed reactions to the Freedom From Poverty Bill: A new approach to replacing BEE and employment equity
The Institute of Race Relations has introduced a new Bill that seeks to replace the Black Economic Empowerment and Employment Equity. Pictured is Minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth. Image: GCIS The Freedom From Poverty Bill, introduced by the Institution of Race Relations (IRR) as a replacement for the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and the Employment Equity Act (EEA), has been met with mixed views. Under the bill, there is Economic Empowerment for the Disadvantaged (EED), which is codified as an alternative to BEE and a proposal for true transformation, as it will be based on need, not race. It was launched this week as part of the #WhatSACanBe campaign in a webinar discussion between IRR Head of Policy, Dr Anthea Jeffery, and IRR Strategic Engagements Manager, Makone Maja. The BEE aims to correct past inequalities and is governed by the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act. Its application is limited to people who are black, of mixed race, and Indian, and excludes white people, including those with disabilities. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Explaining the difference between the two policies, Jeffery said the BEE uses race as a proxy for disadvantage, EED targets the poor, and identifies disadvantage based on a means test. 'This would enable poor whites to benefit too, but 99% of its benefits would in practice go to poor black people. Its non-racial focus would reduce racial divisions, put an end to race classification, and comply with the Constitution's founding value of non-racialism. 'The EED is voluntary, which means companies would no longer be required to keep the current BEE scorecard to aid them in state procurement contracts, or race-based ownership deals, management posts, and procurement contracts. EED's scorecard incentivises companies for their key contributions to the economy by rewarding them with EED points for these actions. With EED, the points cannot be redeemed to gain from preferential procurement,' Jeffery said. She added that EED introduces education and health voucher-based support for poor people to be used at schools or health facilities of their choice. This, she said, will redirect much of the revenue now spent on dysfunctional schools, hospitals, and housing developments into tax-funded vouchers for low-income families. The bill states that a system of tax-funded vouchers must be created and administered by provincial administrations, with the help of public-private partnerships where necessary, and it will go hand in hand with social grants. An emphasis was made that this will not take away social grants. 'In the instance of schools, the voucher will go with the child to the school of the family's choice. The vouchers will fund teachers' salaries, study materials, maintaining the school grounds, and more. Parents can remove their children from poor-performing schools and take the vouchers with them. This will engender competition and incentivise excellence at all levels of the supply-side of education and raise due diligence on the demand-side. The health vouchers will operate the same way,' Jeffery said. Maja said ending fake transformation, which only enriches those at the very top, is critical to truly changing South Africa's economy. 'True transformation would move the needle on the numbers of unemployment, economic growth, and the rates of poverty and decline of state services and infrastructure. All of which have either stagnated or, in some instances, worsened since the advent of fake transformation,' said Maja. Dr Rowena Bernard, a senior lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's School of Law, said the proposed EED excludes racial criteria and any form of racial classification as a basis for empowerment. She added that it emphasises merit, skills, objective criteria, and measurable socio-economic disadvantage, and no EED measure may rely on demographic representativity, racial criteria, racial targets or quotas, or any form of classification by race. The focus of the BEE is on redistribution instead of growth. It is based on racial classification and preference, which goes against the founding principles of the Constitution. The BEE tends to benefit only a small elite of South Africans; unfortunately, the vast majority of black South Africans still receive limited benefits from the policy. South Africa's progress in reducing poverty and inequality, and improving socio-economic rights has been relatively slow, Bernard said. 'The BEE overlooks contributions made by the private sector in terms of upward mobility by investing, employing, innovating, and paying taxes. According to the BEE policy, businesses are to be measured according to a scorecard to determine their compliance level. The elements in the generic scorecard relate to ownership, which measures the economic interest, voting rights, and net value of shares held by black people. 'Management control assesses the number of executive boards, senior, middle, and junior management positions held by black members in a business. Skills development focuses on skills development initiatives and training for black employees.' Under the EED, existing race-based contracts or empowerment schemes will be reviewed within 18 months and may also be terminated by a court or tribunal if they are tainted by inflated pricing, corruption, undue influence, or other damaging or unlawful conduct. She added that the EED proposes the introduction of a voucher system in the three critical areas of education, housing, and health, affecting the lives of the vast majority of South Africans. 'This proposed voucher system will be available to all South Africans and will not be based on any racial criteria. A means test will be used to determine an individual's eligibility for the voucher. 'This means that people earning below the threshold would be granted education vouchers, up to a certain amount; this voucher would then be used at the school of their choice. This would be done by redirecting the education budget. This system would give children from lower-income families the right to make their own educational choice. This would also have an effect on failing state schools, which many children have to attend because they have little other choice. This allows for better choices and better education opportunities,' she said. Bernard added that the vouchers would work similarly for housing and healthcare, as people would no longer have to solely rely on government services. 'Access to the vouchers would enable people to improve their living conditions, not rely on the inferior, low-cost houses built and provided by the South African government. They will be able to use the voucher to either build better quality homes or rent proper homes. It is envisioned that it will reduce homelessness, housing instability, and overcrowding. Health vouchers will increase access to healthcare. People will no longer have to rely on free public health care treatment, which will increase access to better quality health care,' she said. The EED, she said, brings in a new perspective to address the real challenges all South Africans experience regardless of their race. It provides realistic options to empower and uplift those who are disadvantaged. Bernard said the bill may have serious consequences for employment laws. 'Affirmative action measures and policies will also be affected as employers will not be able to introduce preferential policies that result in racial preferencing. All employees will have equal opportunities in relation to promotions and fair labour practices. All employees will have equal opportunities to receive training and skills development,' she said. She added that it may result in financial strain and capacity issues as employers will be expected to review and change existing employment policies and practices. There may be an increase in employee grievances concerning unfair discrimination claims, which will lead to a strain on the resources of the employer and the court system. 'The EED Bill will certainly benefit the majority of black employees, but the proposed non-racial approach would reaffirm the Constitution's founding values of equality and human dignity,' she said. However, Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast said the IRR is using non-racialism to block transformation. 'The issue of transformation is not debatable, because it comes from the Constitution. The preamble of the Constitution talks about the transformation, which is a historical appreciation. So, we can't have nation-building and social cohesion without transformation. 'We can't be united when the rugby national team is playing, but when it comes to other issues, we don't want to talk about them. It looks like some people want to preserve their privileges. In my opinion, people are not being honest, because if you look at poverty and unemployment, those social cleavages have a colour,' Breakfast said. He added that the BEE has not achieved its intended objective, but that doesn't mean that transformation must take a back seat. 'We need to call out people who are pushing back from transformation, while at the same time talking about social cohesion and nation-building. Unemployment, inequality, and poverty still indicate that race is an issue. How do you transcend racial categorisation but still have these issues along racial lines? If this bill goes to Parliament, it won't be adopted by the majority. I don't think this policy is proposed in good faith. I find it very suspicious,' he said.
The Citizen
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Urgent court action aims to halt employment equity quotas
Business organisations say government's new race and gender targets are procedurally flawed and unconstitutional. The court papers highlight what appear to be substantive procedural flaws in the setting of race quotas. Picture: Moneyweb Sakeliga and the National Employers Association of SA (Neasa) filed an urgent Gauteng High Court application this week challenging race and gender targets under the Employment Equity Amendment Act (EEAA), which became law in January 2025. The act sets hiring quotas for 18 economic sectors, from agriculture and mining to transport and construction. 'The application challenges the legality and constitutionality of the newly introduced employment equity framework, which introduces rigid race and gender quotas across 18 economic sectors on the top four occupational levels,' according to a statement by the business organisations. These quotas, formally published in April 2025, require employers with 50 or more employees to restructure their entire workforce to reflect the national gender and racial demographics of the country, or face dire consequences. The EEA defines 'designated groups' as blacks, women and people with disabilities, and is intended to increase their representation in the workplace. ALSO READ: State sued over estate agent BEE plan The challenge involves two steps: The first asks the court for a judicial review of the 'procedurally flawed' manner in which the minister went about setting the quotas; and The second part, yet to be launched, attacks the constitutionality of the quotas under the relevant parts of the EEA. Neasa and Sakeliga argue that Minister of Employment and Labour Nomakhosazana Meth skirted the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (Paja) by not applying the relevant sections of the EEA in arriving at the race quotas. The policing of the act and its associated regulations will require 10 000 labour inspectors by the Department of Employment and Labour. The act has received pushback from business, the DA and trade union Solidarity. 'When the legislation was passed, we informed the government that we would bring an urgent application to set it aside as they had not done proper consultation, as required by law,' says Gerhard Papenfus, chief executive of Neasa. ALSO READ: Employment Equity Act amendments to come into effect on 1 January 2025 'They then started consulting, but with whom? 'They chose 18 industries. The act says you must first determine what these industries are. You can't just decide this on your own,' he says. 'On top of that, the consultations took place over seven days. They scheduled for each and every consultation for one and a half hours, allowing just 15 minutes for questions. That's not consultation.' Neasa also criticises the way industries were demarcated. For example, manufacturing – including steel, plastics, agro-processing, clothing and chemicals and other sub-sectors – was treated as a single industry. ALSO READ: Five-year Employment Equity targets: What must each sector aim for? Substantive flaws The court papers highlight what appear to be substantive procedural flaws in the setting of race quotas. Failure to identify and gazette economic sectors: The identification of 18 national economic sectors for purposes of setting quotas was not carried out as required under the EEA, which meant there were no sectors existing in law with whom the minister could consult. It further resulted in different sub-sectors with different characteristics being lumped together under a one-size-fits-all quota. Improper consultation: Inadequate notice was given for online consultations and these were limited to 1 000 attendees, with just 15 minutes allocated to questions. The minister neglected to consult with employees in the economic sectors who will be severely affected by the quotas. No lawful publication: The two business organisations say the final 2025 quotas differ radically from the earlier draft quotas published in 2023 and 2024, and were never published for renewed public comment as required under the act. This is a legal requirement and failure to adhere to it renders the quotas invalid. Quotas are arbitrary: The minister set irrational and arbitrary quotas that do not take into account the nature, circumstances and challenges of each sector. No consideration was given to the pool of skills available in each sector, the natural gender disparity in certain sectors, or the difference in racial demographics across provinces in SA. No socio-economic impact assessment performed: The regulations are ultimately aimed at compelling the workforce of every single designated employer in SA, in every sector, on every occupational level, to conform to the racial and gender demographic profile of the country's economically active population. This cannot be rationally introduced as a legal requirement without a proper assessment of its socio-economic impacts. Violation of The Constitution: The quotas disregard South Africa's constitutional stipulations on non-racialism, equality before the law, and administrative justice. Businesses will be forced to spend vast amounts of time and resources complying with these employment equity quotas, say Neasa and Sakeliga in a statement. ALSO READ: DA legal challenge to Employment Equity sparks political divide 'Individuals will be employed or not employed, and promoted or not promoted, based on unlawful quotas. Employers will restructure and make other permanent changes to their workforce and corporate structuring, employ new employees and forego opportunities and take on the expense that this involves, all based on unlawful quotas. 'This [court] filing marks the next important step in preventing these impossible, irrational, and harmful employment quotas for the benefit of employers, employees, and all communities across the country.' Papenfus was part of a delegation of Afrikaner leaders to visit the US White House in June, during which the US administration set out a number of preconditions for normalising relations with SA, including exempting US businesses from BEE requirements, classifying farm attacks as a priority crime, no land expropriation without compensation and an unequivocal condemnation by the ANC of the 'Kill the boer, kill the farmer' slogan. Law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has filed a separate court challenge to the Legal Sector Code – which sets firm-level targets of 50% black ownership, voting rights and executive management positions within five years – arguing that these targets are unrealistic given that blacks made up just 38% of the profession in 2023. It argues that the introduction of the code was arbitrary, unlawful and procedurally flawed. This article was republished from Moneyweb. Read the original here.
IOL News
10-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Neasa and Sakeliga mount legal challenge against employment regulations
The National Employers' Association of South Africa (Neasa) and Sakeliga have jointly filed an urgent application for an interdict against the implementation of the 2025 Employment Equity sectoral numerical quotas. The National Employers' Association of South Africa (Neasa) and Sakeliga have jointly filed an urgent application for an interdict against the implementation of the 2025 Employment Equity sectoral numerical quotas and accompanying administrative regulations, as well as calling for the judicial review and setting aside thereof. The Minister of Employment and Labour, Dr Nomakhosazana Meth published the employment equity regulations of April 15. These quotas require employers with 50 or more employees to restructure their entire workforce to reflect national gender and racial demographics of the country. The application challenges the legality and constitutionality of the newly introduced employment equity framework. The legal challenge firstly aims for a judicial review of the procedural acts of the Minister in setting the quotas, which the organisations alledge were fraught with irregularities and inadequacies in process. Secondly, the challenge also entails a constitutional challenge of the substance of relevant sections in the Employment Equity Act (EEA), which allow for and facilitate the setting and enforcement of these quotas. In the founding affidavit, Neasa and Sakeliga argue that the Minister did not act in accordance with the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, as she failed to adhere to the prescriptions of Section 15A of the EEA prior to the setting and publishing of the 2025 sectoral numerical quotas. They claim this renders Meth's actions unlawful and invalid. The court papers, filed in the Gauteng Division of the High Court, also contend the Minister failed to properly identify, and gazette for public comment, the 18 national economic sectors for purposes of setting quotas, as required by Section 15A(4). Neasa and Sakeliga also argue that there was not proper consultation. Instead, they say stakeholders across numerous sectors were either not invited or not given adequate notice of virtual 'consultations', all of which were limited to only 1 000 attendees. "Some stakeholders were given the final quotas only hours before these so-called consultations, with most consultations allowing less than 15 minutes for feedback and discussions. The Minister completely neglected to consult with employees in the economic sectors who will be severely affected by the quotas. Consultation in this manner is woefully inadequate for the Minister to have come to a reasonable, non-arbitrary decision in respect of the quotas," they said. Neasa and Sakeliga also say the final 2025 quotas differ drastically from the earlier draft quotas published in 2023 and 2024 respectively. Despite this, they were never published for renewed public comment as required by section 15A(4) of the Act. This is a legal requirement and failure to adhere to it renders the quotas invalid. They also argue that the quotas are arbitary and do not take into account the nature, circumstances and challenges of each sector. "The Minister failed to obtain and consider a comprehensive socio-economic impact study on the consequences of introducing sectoral quotas... This cannot be rationally introduced as a legal requirement without a proper assessment of its socio-economic impacts," the legal challenge maintains. The second leg of the legal challenge questions the constitutionality and legality of the concept of forced ministerial quotas, which will be comprehensively argued at a later stage. "Unless the Court intervenes and grants the interim relief sought, every employer that employs 50 employees or more, in every sector of the economy, will be required by legislation to prepare and implement employment equity plans to make their workforce conform to the 2025 quotas," they said. "This filing marks the next important step in preventing these impossible, irrational, and harmful employment quotas for the benefit of employers, employees, and all communities across the country." Attempts to get comment from the Department of Employment and Labour by the time of going to print were unsuccessful. BUSINESS REPORT
