The African National Congress (ANC) has hit back at the Democratic Alliance (DA) over its legal challenge to the Employment Equity Amendment Act (EEAA), labelling the move as a blatant attack on transformation efforts in South Africa.
The DA filed court papers against Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth on the eve of International Workers’ Day, arguing that Section 15A of the amended legislation imposes “rigid national race quotas” in the workplace.
The ANC, however, sees the challenge as a threat to the values underpinning equity and redress. Speaking on Thursday, ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula accused the DA of undermining the project of nation-building.
“The DA’s hatred for transformation is clear in this desperate court action,” Mbalula said. “We will stand with Cosatu, the South African Communist Party, and all progressive forces in resisting this assault. Equity and diversity are not negotiable. We will not yield to elitist nostalgia or legal gymnastics designed to reverse the gains of democracy.”
The DA, which is a key partner in the Government of National Unity (GNU), insists its challenge is not against redress but against what it terms racial exclusion disguised as transformation.
Party spokesperson on Employment and Labour, Michael Bagraim, said: “Social engineering is dangerous. We’ve seen what it did under apartheid. Now, the Department of Labour wants to bring back racial classification, which is destroying investment and jobs. This law has failed for 25 years.”
As tensions rise between partners in the GNU, the court battle is set to become a defining moment in the ongoing debate over how best to achieve economic transformation in post-apartheid South Africa.