South African President Ramaphosa Backs Employment Equity Act to Remedy 'Structural Inequality'

The president says top management is still controlled by white men in the private sector, and he's urged companies to be more inclusive. 

FILE: President Cyril Ramaphosa. Picture: @PresidencyZA/X

CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended the Employment Equity Act, saying it prohibits unfair discrimination and corrects past inequalities.

Ramaphosa said South Africa's labour laws are also part of the government's efforts over the last three decades to overcome the "structural inequality" of apartheid. 

The president says top management is still controlled by white men in the private sector, and he's urged companies to be more inclusive. 

Ramaphosa was writing in his latest newsletter a day before the African National Congress (ANC)'s Government of National Unity (GNU) partner, the Democratic Alliance (DA), takes the government to court over the Employment Equity Amendment Act.

Ramaphosa said that at a time of constrained economic growth and high unemployment, certain political parties are calling for the country’s labour laws to be relaxed in response to the prevailing economic conditions.

The president was directing his comment at the DA, which says Section 15a of the act gives the labour minister unchecked power to enforce what it calls "rigid quotas".  

But Ramaphosa said stimulating economic growth and job creation while retaining the rights of workers are not mutually exclusive. 

He said female workers are guaranteed specific entitlements such as maternity and family responsibility leave, and the country also has laws that safeguard against sexual harassment and gender-based violence.

Ramaphosa said companies should go beyond just compliance and must actively promote diversity and inclusion.