Mail & Guardian reports that Huawei Technologies SA has six months to ensure it has South Africans selling the Chinese technology giant’s services to the government.

This was indicated by Luvuyo Keyise, chief executive of the State Information Technology Agency (Sita), in comment on the recent controversy around recruiting practices at Huawei. Sita is mandated to render an efficient and value-added information technology service to the public sector. In February, the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) filed court papers against Huawei for breaching SA’s labour laws by filling 90% of its workforce with foreign nationals. In terms of an out-of-court settlement, the DEL later accepted the company’s employment plan to raise South African representation to more than 50% within three years. In terms of the settlement, Huawei will also provide internships and ICT training to South Africans drawn from the department’s database. Keyise acknowledged the DEL’s settlement with Huawei, but said he had personally asked that the company include more South Africans in its workforce if it intended to do business with the government. He referred specifically to posts such as sales consultants. “So although they [Huawei] were given by Minister of Labour Thulas Nxesi a three-year year plan to ensure that more than 50% of their workforce is South African, they’ve been given by me a six-month plan to ensure that people that go and sell Huawei services to government are South Africans,” Keyise indicated.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sarah Smit at Mail & Guardian

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