South Africans have until 16:00 on Friday, 6 November 2026 to comment on the Employment Services Amendment Bill, following a renewed appeal from Parliament’s employment and labour committee on Monday.
The bill remains a proposal. The reminder does not introduce new workplace quotas or bring its proposed requirements into force.
Where to send comments
Email written submissions to [email protected], addressed to the Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour, for the attention of Zolani Sakasa.
The committee asks contributors to explain their views on the proposed provisions, identify concerns and suggest changes where possible. People who want to make an oral presentation at the forthcoming public hearings should say so in their written submission.
No hearing date was supplied in Monday’s reminder. The closing date is unchanged from Parliament’s original invitation on 18 September.
Committee chairperson Boyce Maneli encouraged both supporters and opponents of the amendments to participate, following public debate about the proposals.
What would the bill change?
The introduced bill, B16–2026, proposes changes to the Employment Services Act of 2014, including the regulation of foreign nationals’ employment and enforcement powers.
It would allow the employment and labour minister to set maximum quotas through Gazette notices. It does not itself set a numerical quota. A draft quota notice would first have to be published for at least 30 days of public comment.
Proposed employer duties include checking permission to work, verifying the availability of suitably skilled local candidates and preparing skills-transfer plans, subject to the bill’s provisions. The text also protects employment claims by workers employed unlawfully.
The bill provides for penalties that a court could impose, rather than automatic fines. These proposed rules should not be read as obligations newly imposed by Monday’s announcement.
What happens next?
The committee will consider public views as it processes the proposed legislation. The bill’s commencement clause provides for an implementation date fixed by presidential proclamation; the current public-comment stage is not that step.
