Question NW1115 to the Minister to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
28 May 2021 - NW1115
Schreiber, Dr LA to ask the Minister to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
(1)What happens if an applicant refuses to indicate their race in section B of the Z83 application for employment form; (2) Whether his department classifies the race of an applicant who refuses to indicate their race; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, on what basis does his department classify a person as (i) Black, (ii) White, (c) Coloured, (iv) Indian and/or (v) Other; (3) What physical characteristics does his department take into account when classifying an applicant as Black, White, Coloured, Indian and/or Other?
Reply:
1. The Z83 application form is a prescribed form. An applicant is required to fill in all sections of this form completely, accurately and legibly. In addition, the declaration at the end of the form requires the applicant to confirm that all the information provided (including any attachments) is complete and correct to the best of his/her knowledge. Therefore it is incumbent on an applicant to complete the form in full. In the event that this information or any other information is not indicated, the application will not be compliant and may result in disqualification.
2. There is no requirement for any department to attempt to classify applicants into racial groups. The information provided on the Z83 form by the applicant is relied upon as correct and true based on the declaration as mentioned above.
3. As neither the DPSA nor any other department is required to determine the categorisation of the race of an applicant, there are no physical characteristics taken into account.