A Model to Complement Legislation in Accelerating Employment Equity in South Africa

Abstract

The inception of the Employment Equity Act No 55 of 1998 has created expectations of redress in the labour market, expectations that have been hard to realise. The labour market has been slow to transform and affirm persons from designated groups, creating impatience on the part of the public and legislators. This slow pace of transformation if not addressed, threatens to destabilise race relations and may result in major discontent in the democracy of South Africa. The resultant behaviour of a discontented public may be detrimental for South Africa at an economic, social and political level. Unless the political freedom results in economic redress, where the majority of South Africans could participate in the labour market, all the gains of the democracy may be viewed as insignificant. A model that would complement the Employment Equity Act could lead to the much- needed acceleration of equity in the workplace which this qualitative research seeks to develop. Through interviews conducted with key figures that have been involved in legislating and/or implementing the Employment Equity Act as well as thought leaders in this field, data was gathered for the model that was developed. It is therefore envisaged that this model, if applied in the current labour market context, would lead to an acceleration and sustenance of transformation and redress as envisioned in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.