21st January, 2016

I  write to you in my capacity as a private citizen but also as the President of The Western Cape Association of Persons with Disabilities.

I know and understand how difficult it has become to find employment in South Africa.  I also understand that much of the legislation in the labour law arena focuses on employing people who were previously disadvantaged.  We must remember that included in the previously disadvantaged category is the category of future employees with disabilities.  In the current economic climate it has become more and more difficult for an individual to land a job when the employer has so much choice and when an employer feels that they won’t gain anything with regard to the Employment Equity quotas.  We must trumpet the fact that employing people with disabilities does help the Employment Equity code quotas and certainly should form part of every business’ Employment Equity plans for the future.

Despite the fact that our Employment Equity legislation has been on our statute books for many, many years and that there is a code dedicated to the employment with disabilities, many businesses ignore this completely.  The Employment Equity Act was passed in 1998 and still we are suffering in South Africa today. Affirmative action legislation has not redressed the disadvantages in employment experienced in the past.

It is understandable businesses do tend to stereotype but let us stop carrying the baggage of our own past and diversify our workforce.

Michael Bagraim