Gearing Up For Public Comments On The Employment Services Amendment Bill

In our last alert on the Employment Services Amendment Bill, 2026 (Bill), we noted that the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) had briefed the National Assembly’s Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour (Committee) on the Bill.

At a glance

• Advertising for public submissions on the Employment Services Amendment Bill, 2026 (Bill) is expected to begin on 13 September 2026 through various media channels.
• The closing date for written submissions on the Bill is expected to fall in the first week of November 2026, but this remains subject to when the advertisements are ultimately published.
• Given the potential impact of the Bill for employers of foreign nationals, submissions on the Bill should be prepared now, in advance of the process opening to the public, considering that the closing date may be relatively soon.

We further noted that the Committee had resolved to invite written public submissions on the Bill.

Further update on public submissions process on the Bill

On 19 August 2026, the Committee received an update from the Committee Secretary, Mr Zolani Sakasa, on the progress of the public participation process on the Bill.

The Committee was informed that the draft advertisement calling for public submissions on the Bill had been prepared and submitted to Parliament’s Translation and Language Services Unit for translation into the official languages in which the advertisement would be published.

Newspaper advertising for public submissions on the Bill is targeted to run between 13 September 2026 and 26 October 2026. Radio live reads on public submissions on the Bill are expected to run between 14 September 2026 and 2 October 2026.

The Committee was also advised that the advertisement on public submissions on the Bill will be published on Parliament’s website and promoted through Parliament’s authorised social media platforms.

Public hearings will also be conducted in various provinces, with the number and locations of the hearings to be determined at a later stage. In that regard, while the advertisement will invite written submissions, it will also include an invitation to persons wishing to make oral presentations to indicate this in their written submissions.

The closing date for written submissions on the Bill is expected to fall in the first week of November 2026, but this remains subject to when the advertisements are ultimately published.

Given the potential impact of the Bill for employers of foreign nationals, submissions on the Bill should be prepared now, ahead of the public participation process, to ensure they are ready to submit before the closing date.

We will continue to monitor developments and provide further guidance in relation to the Bill.