battle over workplace equity

Despite the increased overall employment of black South Africans, their movement into higher-skilled occupations remains limited, and the private sector is particularly resistant to change compared with the public sector.

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High youth unemployment, especially among young black South Africans, persists as a significant concern.

Transformation, though, is not only a numbers game and in the real economy, skills shortages may matter more than demographics.

"Degrees alone won't save South Africa's economy," warned Yershen Pillay, CEO of the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (Chieta). "Skills will."

Pillay laments the "mismatch between the skills our economy needs and the qualifications we continue to produce".

In a nation hurtling into a future defined by artificial intelligence, green energy and advanced manufacturing, technical competence is the missing link.

Chieta's model, which includes decentralised trade test sites and Smart Skills Centres, is trying to close the gap.

"We are preparing South Africa's youth for the industries of tomorrow," Pillay said, advocating a national pivot towards artisanship and innovation over outdated academic credentials.

While industry leaders call for agility, the DA is challenging the new framework in court, arguing that the targets constitute rigid quotas and threaten both fairness and constitutional order.

The DA's lawyer, Ismail Jamie, described the regulations as "totalitarian" and creating "an absolute barrier" to employment based on birth. The party maintains that the previous version of the act was preferable: employer-led, context-sensitive and explicitly against quotas.

Quotas by another name?