Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has admonished the draft Employment Equity Act (EEA) regulations as an attempt by the African National Congress (ANC) to exert State control, deepen social divisions and ban certain communities from employment in particular sectors of the economy.

The regulations in the Act set out racial employment quotas across various sectors of the economy. 

The DA is preparing to approach the courts to challenge racial quotas.

Steenhuisen pointed out the debilitating effects the legislation would have on the economy and on specific racial groups including members of the Indian and Coloured communities.

The DA leader further suggested that members of these communities would be persecuted in ways that were not dissimilar to the discrimination they suffered under previous regimes.

Low percentage employment targets against Indian and Coloured employees have drawn sizable contention and fierce condemnation by the DA.

To place an emphasis on the marginalisation of employees of particular racial groups, the DA maintained that "the EEA is the most dangerous piece of racial engineering our country has seen since the dawn of democracy. Far from promoting equality, the EEA will further fragment our country into groups of insiders and outsiders.”

In recognition of the emergence of the “procurement mafia”, the DA also opined that the amended legislation could be manipulated to hire “connected ANC cadres”.

“The economic costs of this discrimination will be severe at a time our country can hardly afford it. The State should not be getting in the way of business given the already unacceptable unemployment rate of 32.7%, and the expanded rate of 42.6%,” Steenhuisen said.

Objections to the proposed legislation can be submitted to innocent.makwarela@labour.gov.za;christina.lehlokoa@labour.gov.za; and julian.mohale@labour.gov.za