In the same breath, the report noted that the increase in representation of African and coloured groups in the middle to upper levels was marginal at below 1%.

PRETORIA - The Commission for Employment Equity said workplace transformation remained sluggish in 2018 with its annual report showing that there was still an over-representation of white people in top and senior management positions.

In the same breath on Tuesday, the report noted that the increase in representation of African and coloured groups in the middle to upper levels was marginal at below 1%.

White males are still ranked high in top management positions at 56.4% in the private sector with the figure climbing to 80% in sectors like agriculture.

Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi said the results clearly showed that there was still no transformation in some South African workplaces.

“An unhealthy situation flies in the face of an inclusive economy and one of the priorities of government which the president has elaborated on is the lack of transformation in employment equity and it will have to be tackled head-on through a number of strategies. The setting and the regulation of sector targets as an alternative to self-regulation."

The commission also said the construction, finance and business sectors were the slowest in terms of transformation in the workplace in line with affirmative action.

Despite threats of prosecution and fines against companies which refuse to transform, the government still has little to show for its efforts.

Commission’s chairperson Tabea Kabinde said: “We also recognise as a commission that since the inception of the Employment Equity Act, the law has always said that employers should set their own targets but we see that this does not bear fruit as the result of which we see a 1% move from the white population to the other designated groups.”

Kabinde added that the trend is likely to continue as most recruitment, promotional and skills development at top management levels are still dedicated to white people.