President Cyril Ramaphosa has raised concerns about the private sector's inability to fasttrack the empowerment of black workers. 

Ramaphosa, speaking at a meeting with black business leaders at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, said the private sector needed to do some introspection on why it was failing to adhere to the Employment Equity Act.

"We should all be concerned about the slow pace of transformation in the workplace and particularly in the private sector. 

"This necessitates some serious introspection by business and a clear strategy to promote employment equity," said Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa spoke after black business leaders and commentators lashed at government this week after the appointment of Andre de Ruyter as the state-owned entity's chief executive.

However, Ramaphosa told the black business leaders that he backed the appointment. 

"The appointment of a new group chief executive officer at Eskom is an important step towards restoring stability and forging a sustainable path for this strategic entity [Eskom].

"We are undertaking these measures in support of the overriding effort to address the unemployment crisis in our country," said Ramaphosa at the meeting which was called by the Black Business Council.

Ramaphosa said the meeting was happening at a time when government was taking a number of urgent steps to improve the business and investment climate in our country with a view of creating jobs and improving the living conditions of people of SA.

"It is therefore encouraging that black business sector, particularly as led by the Black Business Council, is keen in these very testing and trying times to meet with government to discuss a variety of issues that have to do with also with how we could continue collectively to get involved in growing our economy. 

"Our success as a country depends on bringing social partners together and being able to use all available platforms for us to engage and black business is a very important player in all these because it is an influential voice in articulating the position of the business community around key national economic issues," he said.