Employment Equity Act: DA in hot water for peddling disinformation

The Democratic Alliance has been accused of peddling disinformation about the Employment Equity Amendment Act targeting the “coloured and Indian population” which, according to the party, may end up banning these groups from employment in certain provinces.

The party came under sharp rebuke from the department of employment and labour and the Twitteratti after its leader John Steenhuisen claimed the party opposed the regulations because of the banning potential.

It is apparently contained in the draft Employment Equity (EE) Regulations 2023, issued on 12 May for public comment.

Tactics

The department berated the DA for “maliciously interpreting the proposed sector EE targets”, saying the DA was using the same tactics of “divide and rule, adopted during the apartheid regime, particularly in order to divide the black people of South Africa”.

“The purpose of the EE Act, as amended, is to achieve equity in the workplace by promoting equal opportunities and fair treatment in employment through the elimination of unfair discrimination; and the implementation of affirmative action measures to redress the disadvantages in employment experienced by designated groups (i.e. black people, women and persons with disabilities) to ensure their equitable representation in all occupational levels in the workforce,” said department spokesperson Teboho Thejane.

According to him nothing had changed as the amendments were not introducing any new legal obligations on employers, because for more than 24 years, the Act required of employers to set their own EE targets.

“The only change with these amendments is that the minister of employment and labour, after consultation with the relevant sector stakeholders and on the advice of the Commission for Employment Equity, has now regulated sector EE targets in a form of five-year milestones towards achieving the equitable representation of the various groups in respective economic sectors,” Thejane said.

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Cosatu weighs in

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said to the contrary of the DA’s statement, the new regulations sought to improve on the current EE environment and were progressive and pragmatic in seeking to address employment equity and to reflect the country’s demographics.

Cosatu’s national parliamentary coordinator Matthew Parks was scathing in his criticism of the DA which, he said, was electioneering for the 2024 election by engaging in hate speech and disinformation.

There was nothing in the regulations talking about the banning of Indians and coloureds from employment in certain provinces, he said.

“Instead, the law is progressive, pragmatic and is a great improvement on the existing situation.”

READ MORE: Is a DA-led government that far-fetched?

– ericn@citizen.co.za