The Democratic Alliance took to the streets of Cape Town on Wednesday, marching to Parliament against what it has termed “race quotas” in the government’s Employment Equity Amendment Bill.
In April, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Employment Equity Amendment Bill with new measures to promote diversity and equality in the workplace into law.
The bill paves the way for the employment and labour minister to, among others, identify and set employment equity numerical targets for each economic sector.
However, the DA said not only would the law have an effect on the employability of coloured and Indian citizens, but it believed it would give the ANC enormous power over employment at private companies.
The DA demanded a complete scrapping of the Act’s provisions that give the employment and labour minister the power to set racial quotas.
It said the government determining racial quotas for private companies would result in the extension of cadre deployment into the private sector.
Addressing those who marched in Cape Town, DA leader John Steenhuisen said this “Race Quotas Act” could cost up to 600,000 jobs and was only designed to benefit one group, ANC cadres.
“We already know that the ANC has used cadre deployment to loot, to collapse service delivery, and to reserve jobs in the public sector for their friends and family. Now, the Race Quota Act will give the ANC enormous power over employment at private companies.
“This Act is not about empowerment or equality. It is about centralising the ultimate power in the ANC. The power to decide who should be employed, and who should starve,” he said.
kailene.pillay@inl.co.za
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