Labour department Director General and Black Management Forum President Jimmy Manyi said on Monday that he was not going to choose one job over the other.

Manyi told a Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BB-BEE) seminar in Johannesburg: "Manyi is not choosing anything. I have a big enough head to carry both hats."

Manyi's comments followed suggestions by some in the political arena that he should choose one job and give his full attention to it as there could be a conflict of interest and divided attention on important issues.

The Black Management Forum expressed its disappointment after the appointment of Futhi Mtoba as the new President of Business Unity South Africa.

A balance of power

"It's got nothing to do with the individual but rather a balance of power. There's no balance of power. We don't want plastic unity but real unity at that organization," Manyi remarked.

On the BB-BEE codes of good practice, Manyi told delegates to the seminar: "These codes reduce complexity and reduce the cost of doing business," said Manyi.

"There should be equitable representation. We are not saying take any black person on the street and place them in executive positions. People must be qualified. They must have the right skills and knowledge of the job," he added.

He said the Black Management Forum supports stiffer penalties for companies that do not comply with the Codes of good practice, professionalisation of the inspectorate, stop fines and BB-BEE Codes to replace all the Charters except for the professional services firms.