ANC slams DA legal action as anti-transformation

The ANC has criticised the DA for challenging part of the Employment Equity Act, saying its biggest partner in the government of national unity (GNU) was opposed to transformation.

The DA went to court on Tuesday to challenge the constitutionality of section 15a of the Employment Equity Amendment Act introduces numerical targets for the representation of black people, women and people with disabilities for companies with more than 50 employees.

The DA argues that the law will further drive unemployment and hinder job growth. It wants everyone to have fair access to jobs based on merit and not because of the colour of their skin.

The ANC said the DA is anti-transformational as the act was intended  to redress past injustices.

“The regressive action is not only an affront to the constitution but a direct assault on the very foundation of SA’s transformation journey,” the ANC said on Tuesday. “We must remind the DA and its allies that SA’s constitution explicitly recognises the need to redress past injustices and to achieve substantive equality.”

The two parties have recently locked horns over several issues since agreeing to form the GNU, most recently over the budget and a proposed increase in VAT.

Before that the two partners were in a dispute over legislation passed by the previous administration, including the Bela Act, National Health Insurance and the Expropriation Act.

The fractured relationship between the ANC and the DA has seen growing calls for the latter to be axed from the multiparty union.

Some members of the DA have also called for the party to withdraw from the GNU, arguing it is not making the necessary impact in the coalition. They have accused the ANC of not being willing to share power and behaving as if it enjoyed sole power.

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