DA plans mass protest action against ‘race quotas’

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The DA is preparing for a mass protest against the race quotas that have been introduced by the ANC-led government through the Employment Equity Amendment Act.

The Amendment Bill was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa in April.

Government said the Amendment Bill seeks to advance transformation of South Africa's workforce "by setting equity targets for economic sectors and geographical regions, and requiring enterprises to develop transformation plans".

But the DA called it a ‘destructive’ policy.

In a statement on Thursday, the party's leader John Steenhuisen warned if enforced, it could lead to thousands of job losses.

“The result will be the extension of cadre deployment into the private sector by giving the government the power to dictate appointments at private companies,” said Steenhuisen.

“Estimates show that, if the government reneges on its word and enforces the quota regulations, 600 000 people will lose their jobs because they have the ‘wrong’ skin colour or live and work in the ‘wrong’ areas.

That is why the DA is continuing with our High Court challenge to declare the Act unconstitutional, thereby scrapping it and making it entirely impossible for the ANC to introduce racial quotas”

Steenhuisen added that the protest – planned for July 26 – is designed to build on the success achieved recently by Solidarity.

The trade union reached a settlement with the government in a process conducted under the auspices of the International Labour Organisation.

In terms of the settlement, the government agreed to amend the regulations issued in terms of the Act to recognise that race-based affirmative action must be temporary.

It also said there can be no absolute prohibition on employing people based on race, and that skills must be taken into account.

Steenhuisen said the DA agrees.

“The DA thanks and congratulates Solidarity for this important breakthrough.

However, for as long as the EEAA provisions giving the Minister [of Labour] arbitrary powers to determine racial quotas for private companies remain on the statute books, the risk remains that these quotas will be enforced,” he said.

“The result will be the extension of cadre deployment into the private sector by giving the government the power to dictate appointments at private companies.”