Employment Equity reporting begins for South African businesses

ALL companies with 50 or more employees must begin submitting their 2025 Employment Equity (EE) reports, in line with regulations and sectoral targets published by the Department of Employment and Labour.

- SIPHESIHLE BUTHELEZI

The reporting period, which began yesterday, will be open until January 15, 2026 for online submissions. If submitting manually, the deadline is October 1, 2025 according to the department.

The opening of the reporting period comes just days after the Pretoria High Court dismissed an urgent application by the National Employers’ Association of South Africa (NEASA) and Sakeliga to challenge what they called “new employment equity quotas’.

According to the organisations, the sectoral targets constitute strict hiring quotas based on race and other demographic ratios.

REGULATIONS

The organisations have confirmed they will appeal the ruling directly to the Constitutional Court. “We will not stop until this harmful and unjustified state intervention is reversed or rendered moot,’ they said in a joint statement.

They are also pursuing Part B of their case, which seeks to have sections of the Employment Equity Act itself declared unconstitutional.

Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth welcomed the High Court’ ruling, calling it “a victory for equity, justice, and the rule of law.”