Durban — The DA has threatened to take legal action against the draft Employment Equity Amendment Act (EEA) regulations that were published for comment over the weekend.
The proposed act is targeting coloured and Indian population groups and bans these groups from employment in various sectors in certain provinces.
DA leader John Steenhuisen said in a statement that he was appalled by the ANC’s way of doing things because people from these communities suffered discrimination under the previous regime, and now they were being re-victimised by a democratic government that had learnt all the wrong lessons from the past.
“The social perversion created by these targets constitutes a clear and urgent threat to the social fabric of South Africa. The implication is that companies operating in certain parts of the country are banned from employing even a single coloured or Indian person in a particular position. If companies defy these regulations, they will be severely punished by being disqualified from government contracts or doing business with the state,” said Steenhuisen.
The regulations set out racial employment quotas across 18 economic sectors and across all nine provinces.
The regulations apply to all companies with more than 50 employees.
Steenhuisen said for the ANC, this meant that Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the North West and even certain sectors in Gauteng were now “no-go zones” for coloured and Indian South Africans seeking employment.
In sectors like agriculture, forestry and fisheries, mining and quarrying, manufacturing, finance, arts and science, the “targets” set for coloured employees in provinces like Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West is 0%, effectively banning these groups from employment.
In response to the DA, Labour Department spokesperson Teboho Thejane said the department was perturbed by the way the DA had maliciously interpreted the proposed sector EE targets published for public comment.
“It appears as though the DA is using the same tactics of ‘divide and rule’ adopted during the apartheid regime, particularly in order to divide the black people of South Africa.
“The purpose of the EE Act, as amended, is to achieve equity in the workplace by promoting equal opportunities and fair treatment in employment through the elimination of unfair discrimination; and the implementation of affirmative action measures to redress the disadvantages in employment experienced by designated groups (black people, women and persons with disabilities) to ensure their equitable representation in all occupational levels in the workforce,” said Thejane.
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