DA’s Helen Zille alleged that Finance Minister’s lawyers approached theirs with an offer to settle out of court on VAT hike matter.
Image: Henk Kruger / Independent Newspapers
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is set to appear before the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday as it challenges recent amendments to the Employment Equity Act.
According to the party’s Federal Chairperson, Helen Zille, the legal action aims to “ensure fair access to jobs and employment for all South Africans.”
The DA’s case, filed more than two years ago during the sixth administration, contends that the amended provisions of the Act amount to unfair and unconstitutional discrimination.
Central to the party's challenge is Section 15A of the Act, which authorises the Minister of Labour to set sector-specific numerical targets for racial and gender representation.
The DA argues that this section effectively introduces rigid racial quotas, which it claims are unconstitutional and risk undermining economic stability in South Africa.
Section 15(a) outlines affirmative action measures which are intended to ensure that suitably qualified employees from designated groups have equal employment opportunities and are equitably represented in all occupational levels of the workforce.
However, Zille said this would only reduce people to statistics, ignoring talent and effort.
Meth has described the DA’s court challenge of the amendments to the Employment Equity Act as an attempt to maintain the inherently unfair status quo.
“The DA's challenge seeks to disrupt efforts aimed at achieving equitable representation and maintaining the inherently unfair status quo.
“By opposing these amendments, the DA is actively sabotaging the transformation goals that have been pursued since the end of the apartheid era, effectively hindering progress towards equality and fairness in the workplace,” she said.
However, the DA maintained that this would destroy jobs.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za