‘An affront to workers': ANC slams DA's court bid to scrap Employment Equity Act
Just as the storm over the 0.5% VAT hike begins to calm, a new political storm is brewing.
This week, the DA heads to court over the Employment Equity Act, threatening to reignite tensions within the rocky Government of National Unity (GNU).
The DA will challenge the Act at the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday. The DA alleges that the Act will damage the economy even further.
The ANC has accused the DA of hindering the progress and transformation of the country. It said the DA was committed to reversing the gains made by the government over the past 30 years.
In a tweet on X over the weekend, ANC parliamentary chief whip, Mdumiseni Ntuli, said the DA's action was a validation of a continued exclusion of black people in the economy.
Last week, ANC secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, said the DA hated any policy on transformation, adding that the (DA) heading to court on the eve of Workers Day proved that.
"We denounce the DA's court challenge against the Employment Equity Act. It is not only a legal manoeuvre — it is a calculated political stunt, launched on the eve of Workers' Day, aimed at reversing three decades of democratic gains. It is an affront to workers, to the poor, and our national Constitution,' Mbalula said.
The DA filed its legal challenge in 2023, but tensions have resurfaced following the release of regulations introducing sector-specific racial quotas—measures the DA views as unconstitutional and discriminatory.
The case has further strained the GNU, provoking a backlash from the ANC caucus and renewed calls for the DA's removal from the coalition.
It joins a series of legislative flashpoints—including the NHI Act, BELA Act, and Expropriation Act—all passed before the GNU's formation.
While the GNU aims for cooperation, the DA continues to oppose core elements of these laws, citing fundamental ideological divides.
With the coalition only recently stabilised after a budget crisis, the DA's court battle over employment equity is now a fresh source of political friction.
Meanwhile, the DA led by its federal chairperson Helen Zille is expected to hold a media briefing on Monday on the merits of its case against the Act.
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