Zille on DA's employment equity court challenge: 'Unconstitutional, unfair'

JOHANNESBURG - The Democratic Alliance (DA) is back in court on Tuesday morning.

This time, the party is contesting the constitutionality of the Employment Equity Amendment Act.

The Pretoria High Court is set to hear the party's arguments, specifically challenging Section 15(a) of the law.

The legislation seeks to address workplace discrimination and boost economic participation among historically marginalised groups.

It mandates companies with more than 50 employees to meet the government’s targets for the representation of black people, women and persons with disabilities.

DA federal chairperson Helen Zille argues the law won’t ensure inclusivity in the workforce but would rather increase unemployment.

“We believe it’s unconstitutional because it’s manifestly unfair, and when you discriminate to achieve redress, which we support in specific circumstances, we don’t believe this act meets this benchmark. It’s specifically going to discriminate against particular categories of people.”

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