(Archive photo: Unsplash)
The DA will join Solidarity’s legal action to fight legislation that will give “draconian racial powers” to the minister of labor and employment.
Dr. Michael Cardo, the DA’s spokesperson on employment and labour, says the official opposition will be part of Solidarity’s legal battle over the new Employment Equity Act which pres. Cyril Ramaphosa ratified on Wednesday.
“The DA is firm in its support of the principle of non-racialism and rejects any categorization of South Africans by race,” he says.
“This legislation only reinforces the racial categories of the past, rather than promoting much-needed economic growth and job creation.”
Solidarity already in August to the president writing and pointed out that the amendments to the legislation are unconstitutional according to the organization.
The legislation will give the minister broad powers to set numerical race-based employment targets across different sectors and regions. It will further require compliance certificates to be issued by the minister when doing business with the state.
“This will increase inefficiency and cause further unnecessary hassle for those who want to do business in South Africa,” says Cardo.
“This legislation will not bring about transformation in the workplace as it claims. It will instead further impoverish the majority of South Africans, while a few politically connected individuals are enriched as under the policy of black economic empowerment (BBBEE).”
Dr. Dirk Hermann, chief executive of Solidarity, has Ramaphosa earlier warned that legal action would follow if the amendments were ratified. Solidarity has therefore already begun to prepare for litigation and has indicated that it will serve its court papers soon.
According to Cardo, the DA is disappointed that the amendments were implemented, but this is to be expected from a government that is “obsessed with central racial planning”.
“Further race-based interference by the government in the economy and private enterprises will only lead to less investment in South Africa, a drop in economic growth and high unemployment nationwide,” he says.
“That is why the DA supports Solidarity’s legal actions to stop this unconstitutional race-based legislation in its tracks.”
Sakeliga is also preparing litigation regarding the Employment Equity Amendment Bill and says it will also liaise with other organizations that are doing so.
