Cape Town – The Democratic Alliance (DA) has expressed its dismay towards the recently signed Employment Equity Amendment Act.
The party said it had urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to not sign the Bill in an open letter issued last year, and confirmed that it will now be “joining the legal action being undertaken by Solidarity to stop this draconian race-based Act in court”.
The Bill amends the Employment Equity Act of 1998 (Act No 55 of 1998) with new measures to promote diversity and equality in the workplace.
According to presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, the Bill empowers the minister of employment and labour to set employment-equity targets for economic sectors, as well as regions where transformation is lagging.
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The DA, however, said that “this Act serves only to reinforce the racial categories of the past, rather than promoting much needed economic growth and job creation”.
“The DA is firm in its support of the principle of non-racialism, as underpinned by the Constitution, and rejects the categorisation of South Africans along race-based lines. The DA believes in creating an open and thriving economy, which will lead to prosperity for all South Africans,” the party’s Shadow Minister for Employment and Labour Michael Cardo said.
“The Employment Equity Act will not bring about the transformation of the workplace it purports to seek. Instead, it will further impoverish the vast majority of South Africans, while enriching a thin sliver of politically connected individuals as has been experienced under the policy of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE).
“The provisions of this Act will result in a further exodus of skills from South Africa and introduce large amounts of unnecessary red tape for employers wishing to do business with the state. This will lead to further stagnation of the South African economy, and a lack of economic opportunity for those who need it most.
“South African businesses are already struggling under the weight of a stagnant economy and crippling load-shedding. Further race-based meddling by the ANC in the employment composition of private businesses will only result in reduced investment, declining economic growth and high unemployment across the country.”
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Compiled by Junaid Benjamin
