White and brown people now under-represented in the public service according to affirmative action targets

There are increasingly less positions available for white and brown people in the public service and the two minority groups are now under-represented according to affirmative action targets set out according to the national demographics of the country, adv. Anton Alberts, the FF Plus' parliamentary spokesperson on public service and administration says.

In a reply to a parliamentary question, Adv. Alberts had asked about the number of workers of every population group in the public service, it appears that the target for black people has just about been reached. Indian people are the most advantaged and is over-represented at 0,75% of the number of people in the public service.

White and brown people are both under-represented nearly half a percent. Where white people make up 9,2% of the country's population, they make up 8,8% of the number of people in the public service.

From the reply of the minister, it appears that there are 1,328,687 workers in the public service at present. Of these, there is uncertainty about the race and gender of 1,637 people.

With regards to the rest there is 1,055,274 (79,4%) black, 43,120 (3,2%) Indian, 111,236 (8,3%) brown and 117,420 (8,8%) white people working in the public service.

Adv. Alberts says it is clear from the statistics how there is increasing discrimination against white people in the workplace. He said the whole process was driven aggressively in the past twenty years and South Africa has paid an enormous price for it by sacrificing its service delivery.

"The ANC government should realise that its targets have now been reached and should stop hunting white and brown people. If it should continue driving affirmative action the way it has done up to now, white people will within a number of years disappear from the public service completely.

"The government should for now implement its policy on appointments in reverse gear in an attempt to rectify the injustices. The FF Plus will confront the government about this and demands that more people from minority groups be appointed to the public service," Adv. Alberts says.

Text of the parliamentary reply:

MINISTRY: PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION

REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO: 948

Adv A de W Alberts (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Public Service and

Administration:

(1) How many persons (a) in total and (b) from each race group according to the Employment Equity Act, Act 55 of 1998, are currently in service at all (i) government departments, (ii) public entities and (iii) public institutions;

(2) how many persons in service at all the (a) government departments, (b) public entities and (c) public institutions were appointed in terms of the policy of affirmative action;

(3) whether any steps have been taken to train persons appointed because of affirmative action to comply with the relevant post requirements; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW1097E

REPLY

The Minister of Public Service and Administration (MPSA) is a custodian of the Public Service Act, 1994 and the Employment Equity Act, 55 of 1998 (EEA) falls under the purview of the Minister of Labour who receives periodic compliance reports from all employers in the country, including state organs. The substance of this parliamentary question is in relation to compliance to the Employment Equity Act of which the Minister of labour is in a better position to respond.

Therefore, this reply is confined to the Public Service Act:

1. Number of persons according to persal syatem in relation to gender and race group currently in service at (i) government departments, (ii) public entities and (iii) public institutions are dipcited on Tabled 1 herewith below:

Table 1: Data derived from PERSAL on racial and gender disaggregation of employees in the public service.

Table 1: REPRESENTATION BY GENDER AND RACE IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE: 30 JUNE 2014

* Unspecified are employees whose gender and race is not reflected on the PERSAL SYSTEM

2. (a) (b) (c) Appointment of employees in the public service is regulated by the Public Service Act and the Public Service Regulations. Chapter 1, Part VIIA of the Regulations makes provision for the principles underpinning the appointment, promotions and termination of service of employees.

The Public Service Regulations require "employment practices to ensure employment equity, fairness, efficiency and achievement of representativity in the public service and that affirmative action programme be used to speed up the creation of representativity and equity in the public service in order to give practical support to those who have been previously disadvantaged by unfair discrimination to enable them to fulfil their maximum potential."

Beneficiaries of affirmative action programme in the public service are women, people with disabilities, Africans, Asians, and Coloureds, Table 1 above provide a racial and gender disaggregation of designated groups including a number of 7895 of people with disabilities in the public service. It is important to appreciate that just because an employee is part of a designated group as defined in the Employment Equity Act, does not necessarily mean that the employee was employed through affirmative action programme.

3. Yes, beneficiaries of the public service affirmative action programme are accorded training to function effectively in the positions they are appointed.

Furthermore, every employee in the Public Service undergoes training based on their individual needs regardless of whether or not they were appointed in terms of affirmative action programme. Employees are appraised by their supervisors, and both the employee and the supervisor are required to establish personal development plans for the employee and these plans form part of the performance assessment of the employee.

Every department is expected to provide skills development report broken down in terms of gender, race, and people with disabilities in the annual report that departments table in Parliament every year.

Statement issued by Adv. Anton Alberts, FF Plus parliamentary spokesperson: Public Service and Administration, October 21 2014

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