Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga has called on government bodies and private companies to move faster on hiring persons with disabilities. She said employers that ignore employment equity targets will be publicly named.
Chikunga, the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, spoke in Pretoria on Friday. She was at the launch of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) Deaf Accessibility and Cohort Programme.
“Those who continue to pay lip service to employment equity will be named, and they will be shamed,” she said.
According to the Minister, the National Development Plan set a target of 7% representation of persons with disabilities by 2030. She said Cabinet has approved a yearly increase of one percentage point, with a target of 5% for the 2026/27 financial year.
Chikunga said her own department had reached 5.56% representation. She said government departments and private firms can no longer treat employment equity as a box to tick.
She praised SARS for its new programme. She said it improves communication access, skills training and service delivery for deaf people.
The Minister proposed that her department and SARS work together on a special employment stream for persons with disabilities. She said this could build on the lessons of the deaf programme.
She also called for links between special schools and State-Owned Enterprises. Under this plan, companies would use their Corporate Social Investment budgets to fix buildings and meet learning needs at special schools.
“As part of this effort, we hope to bring together the CEOs of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), and industry associations to commit a percentage of their Corporate Social Investment budgets towards turning around the state of special schools and improving the prospects of youth with disabilities,” Chikunga said.
Chikunga said problems in schools often follow learners into the workplace. She listed poor school buildings, too few assistive devices and a shortage of qualified South African Sign Language teachers and interpreters.
She said tools such as artificial intelligence, automated captions, sign language recognition and speech-to-text could improve access to school and work. But she warned that the state must invest in devices, internet access and training so all communities benefit.
The Minister said her department is working with groups that represent persons with disabilities to build a database. She said it will help government departments and public entities find and hire qualified candidates.
She also urged government, business and the public to buy goods and services from Supported Employment Enterprises. These are state-owned companies that create jobs for persons with disabilities.
The launch took place during Disability Rights Awareness Month, which runs from 3 November to 3 December. This year’s theme is “Creating Strategic Multi-Sectoral Partnerships for a Disability-Inclusive Society.”
The month ends on 3 December, when South Africa will mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Source: this article is based on reporting by SAnews.gov.za. Image: GCIS via SAnews.gov.za. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Business desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Anelisa Nkuna covers business and money news for Tzaneen Voice. Anelisa reports on the rand, fuel prices, interest rates, jobs, Eskom, Transnet, farming and company results. The aim is simple: explain what the numbers mean for household budgets, small businesses and workers in South Africa.