The DA challenged the Act at the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday. The party argues that the law will worsen the unemployment rate.
Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers
The ANC has condemned the DA’s court action against the Employment Equity Amendment Act (EEAA), saying it is a direct assault on the foundation of South Africa's transformation journey.
“A journey paved with the sacrifices of those who fought against apartheid's racial capitalism and institutionalised exclusion. The National Constitution has correctly defined Black as inclusive of Africans, Coloureds and Indians,” the ANC said in a statement.
The DA challenged the Act at the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday. The party argues that the law will worsen the unemployment rate.
Their focus is on Section 15(a), which states that equitable representation of suitably qualified people from designated groups at all occupational levels in the workforce should be considered.
The DA’s Helen Zille also claimed on Monday that investors told them that the government policies, including the Employment Equity Act, were driving them away from investing in the economy.
The ANC said the party's campaign to label this legislation as "anti-merit" is a wilful distortion of reality.
“It ignores the brutal legacy of apartheid, which for centuries denied Black South Africans the right to land, quality education, employment, and dignity. In such a context, talking about "merit" without transformation is an insult to the millions who remain excluded,” it added.
The Employment Equity Act is not about quotas, the ANC said.
“It is about justice. It is about correcting structural imbalances in the economy and ensuring that all South Africans have a fair shot at opportunity.
“Section 15a does not eliminate merit; it creates the conditions in which merit can be meaningfully pursued by addressing the glaring underrepresentation of Africans, Coloured, and Indian South Africans in key sectors of the economy”.
According to the ANC, the Act is a critical tool in realising that vision, particularly in a country where white South Africans, who make up less than 8% of the population, still dominate top management positions in the private sector.
The ANC said it will not retreat from its historic mission to build a non-racial, non-sexist, and just society.
The party further urged civil society, the trade union movement, youth formations, and patriotic business leaders to stand united in defence of transformation and employment equity.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
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