South African businesses are lax when it comes to compliance with employment equity legislation. The Department of Labour warned that they would give non-compliant employers six months to rectify the situation before acting against them.

The minister said her department would implement the penalty provisions in the Employment Equity Amendment Act that allows for penalties of 2% of annual turnover for a company that fails to implement its own employment equity plan. This can rise to 10% for repeat defaulters.

According to the 16th Commission For Employment Equity (CEE) Report launched recently, the percentage of white people at top-management level is 68,9%, followed by Africans at 14,3%, Indians at 8,6% and coloureds 4,7%.

The representation of persons with disabilities decreased from 2% in 2014 to 1,7% in 2015.

The CEE Report cites figures from Statistics South Africa that shows that Africans account for 77,4% of the economically active population, followed by coloureds at 10%, whites at 9,9% and Indians at 2,7%.

The report further states that the top-management level in the public sector is mostly populated by black people (Africans in particular), while white people are mostly concentrated in the private sector.

Labour minister Mildred Oliphant expressed concern about the state and pace of transformation in the country.