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The Employment Equity Amendment Act took effect on 1 January 2025, and it changed the compliance game for every designated employer in South Africa. If your HR, legal, and line-management teams are not fully across the new five-year sectoral numerical targets, the revised compliance-certificate rules under Section 53, and the narrower definition of a designated employer, your business is exposed — to lost state contracts, to enforcement, and to penalties that scale with turnover. BOTI’s Employment Equity Act amendments training equips your people to interpret the changes correctly and build a defensible EE plan that holds up to Department of Employment and Labour scrutiny.
This is a practical, facilitator-led skills programme delivered to your staff and teams, on your site or online, anywhere in South Africa. Delegates receive a BOTI certificate of completion (this is not an accredited qualification).
The business problem this training solves
The 2025/26 amendments are not a light touch. They introduced sector-specific numerical targets set by the Minister, removed the smaller-employer headcount route into the designated-employer category, and tied access to government contracts directly to a valid EE compliance certificate. Many employers still run EE plans written against the old framework.
The risk is concrete:
- Lost tenders. Without a Section 53 compliance certificate, your business cannot conclude contracts with organs of state.
- Financial penalties. Fines for non-compliance start at the greater of R1.5 million or a percentage of turnover, escalating for repeat findings.
- Wasted effort. EE committees that misread the targets produce plans that fail at the first labour inspection.
This course closes that gap. It turns the legislation into a working compliance process your team can run, and it pairs naturally with broader B-BBEE and transformation training for the teams who own your scorecard.
Who this training is for
This is a corporate programme for the people who own EE compliance inside your organisation:
- HR and Learning & Development managers
- Employment equity managers and EE committee members
- Transformation, B-BBEE, and skills-development officers
- Line and operations managers responsible for hiring and promotion decisions
- Business owners, executives, and company secretaries carrying accountability for compliance
It suits designated employers across every sector — finance, mining, manufacturing, retail, logistics, and professional services. BOTI already trains teams at organisations including Sasol, Glencore, and the City of Johannesburg, so the content is pitched at the level SA corporate buyers expect.
What the course covers
The programme is modular, so we can weight it towards your sector and your current EE maturity.
| Module | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1. The amended Act in context | What changed on 1 January 2025 and why; the revised designated-employer definition |
| 2. Sectoral numerical targets | Reading the Minister’s five-year targets for your sector and the four upper occupational levels |
| 3. EE plans and analysis | Conducting a workforce analysis, setting numerical goals, and drafting a compliant EE plan |
| 4. Reporting (EEA2 & EEA4) | Annual online reporting duties, deadlines, and accurate data submission |
| 5. The Section 53 compliance certificate | Eligibility, the justifiable-grounds defence, and what it means for state contracts |
| 6. Enforcement and penalties | DG reviews, labour-inspector powers, fines, and how to build a defensible position |
| 7. Governance and the EE committee | Roles, consultation duties, and running effective committee meetings |
Participants leave with a practical toolkit: a workforce-analysis template, an EE plan checklist, and a reporting calendar mapped to the current submission window. Teams that want to embed the people-management side can add our HR management and skills development training or a focused B-BBEE and skills development workshop.
A note on accuracy: the course treats legal and financial content as general guidance, not formal legal advice. Where a specific dispute or DG review is in play, we point teams towards qualified counsel.
EE compliance and state contracts: the tender link
For employers that bid for public work, the EE compliance certificate is only one half of the procurement picture. Tender preference is scored under the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) regulations of 2022, which use the 80/20 and 90/10 systems and award preference points against “specific goals” — including ownership by historically disadvantaged individuals (by race, gender, and disability) and RDP objectives — rather than a generic B-BBEE level. The Public Procurement Act 28 of 2024 layers set-asides and pre-qualification on top of this. The course flags where EE status and procurement scoring intersect so your bid and compliance teams are not working in isolation. This is general guidance, not legal or financial advice.
Delivery formats and national reach
BOTI delivers this training the way that suits your operation:
- In-house / on-site at your premises in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, or any regional office
- Live virtual for distributed and remote teams
- Public scheduled sessions for smaller groups
Content is tailored to your sector’s numerical targets and your headcount profile before delivery, so the workshop works on your real data rather than generic examples.
Accreditation
This Employment Equity Act amendments course is a practical, facilitator-led skills programme; delegates receive a BOTI certificate of completion (this is not an accredited qualification). Need accredited training? Ask about BOTI’s QCTO/SETA-accredited programmes in related areas such as Generic Management and Business Administration. BOTI is an accredited training provider — Services SETA 12582, MICT SETA ACC/2016/07/0045, and a QCTO Quality Partner.
Funding: stretch your Skills Development budget
This course is built to be funded, not just bought.
- Skills Development Levy (SDL). Employers with an annual payroll above R500,000 pay the SDL at 1% of payroll. Spending on workplace skills development is exactly what that levy is meant to fund — and a portion is recoverable as mandatory and discretionary grants through your SETA when you submit your Workplace Skills Plan and Annual Training Report.
- B-BBEE skills development points. Under the Skills Development element of the B-BBEE scorecard, the target spend is 6% of the leviable amount (not 6% of payroll). EE training delivered to your staff contributes towards that spend and to your scorecard.
- Aligned investment. Spending your skills budget on Employment Equity training is doubly efficient: it earns scorecard points and it strengthens the very EE compliance the scorecard rewards.
We can structure the engagement so it slots cleanly into your Workplace Skills Plan.
Ready to scope it? Request a quote or book a 15-minute callback and we will map the course to your sector targets and budget.
Why BOTI
- 450 courses and a delivery team that trains corporate groups every week
- Blue-chip client base — Sasol, Glencore, the City of Johannesburg and others trust BOTI with their teams
- Tailored, not templated — every EE session is built around your sector’s targets and your workforce data
- National reach with on-site delivery across all major centres plus live virtual
- Practical outputs your EE committee can use the next working day
Frequently asked questions
What changed in the Employment Equity Act for 2025/26?
The amendments, effective 1 January 2025, introduced sector-specific five-year numerical targets set by the Minister, narrowed the definition of a designated employer, and made a valid Section 53 compliance certificate a condition for doing business with the state. The course walks your team through each change.
Does my company have to comply?
Designated employers must comply. The amended Act changed how that category is defined, so part of the training is helping you confirm your status correctly under the new rules rather than the old headcount-and-turnover test.
Is this course accredited?
This Employment Equity Act amendments course is a practical, facilitator-led skills programme and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of completion — it is not an accredited qualification. BOTI is itself an accredited training provider (Services SETA 12582, MICT SETA ACC/2016/07/0045, and a QCTO Quality Partner), so if you need accredited training ask us about our QCTO/SETA-accredited programmes in related areas such as Generic Management or Business Administration.
Can this be funded through our Skills Development budget?
Yes. As workplace skills development it supports SDL grant recovery through your SETA and contributes to the 6%-of-leviable-amount skills-development target on your B-BBEE scorecard. We can align the engagement to your Workplace Skills Plan.
Will you tailor it to our sector?
Yes. Before delivery we map the Minister’s numerical targets for your sector and build the workshop around your actual workforce profile, so the planning exercises use your real data.
How is the training delivered and where?
On-site at your premises in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban or any regional office, live virtual for remote teams, or via public scheduled sessions. We deliver nationwide.
Book your Employment Equity Act amendments training
Get your HR, legal, and management teams compliant with the 2025/26 amendments before the next reporting and certificate deadlines catch them out. Request a quote or schedule a free 15-minute callback, and ask for our free Employment Equity compliance checklist to share with your EE committee.
Call BOTI on 011-882-8853 or visit boti.co.za to scope an in-house or virtual programme for your team.