Thulas Nxesi confirms employment equity “targets” are race quotas
28 July 2023
On Wednesday, the Democratic Alliance (DA) led a mass protest through the streets of Cape Town against the African National Congress’ (ANC) employment equity amendments, which will set racial quotas designed to resurrect job reservation and racial group areas.
Yesterday, the ANC’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Thulas Nxesi, utterly vindicated the DA’s fight against these quotas by confirming that his political party is resurrecting apartheid-era racial divisions in South Africa.
During an interview on SABC News, presenter Aldrin Sampear put an example to Nxesi of an Indian person who applies to work at a company that has “met its target” for the employment of Indians. “What would your advice be to that professional. What would you ask them to do?”
In response, an audibly irritated Nxesi said: “You can’t employ more than what we want.”
Sampear followed up: “Exactly. So what happens to that Indian person?”
Nxesi’s answer constituted devastating confirmation of the new racist depths the ANC is plumbing with this Act: “He must look for jobs in other companies.”
With this answer, Thulas Nxesi has confirmed that the Employment Equity Amendment Act is built on racial quotas that will ban the employment of South African citizens on the basis of race in sectors and areas where they are “over concentrated.” The ANC has now placed it on the public record that Indian, coloured, white and black South Africans will be banned from taking up positions in companies where the “target” for their race group has been met. Companies that employ more workers with the “wrong” skin colour will be severely punished by losing access to state contracts and by being fined up to 10% of their annual turnover.
The ANC’s race law will be particularly devastating for coloured and Indian South Africans, with quotas set at 0.0% for these groups in various sectors and provinces. However, research shows that, in order to comply with the ANC Race Quota Act, over 600 000 South Africans from all backgrounds will need to be replaced in their existing jobs because they have the “wrong” skin colour.
Through its promotion and continued defense of this Act, the ANC has descended to depths of racism and tribalism this country last witnessed before 1994.
Nxesi’s comments also directly contradict the agreement his department reached with trade union Solidarity, clearly demonstrating that the ANC never had any intention of honouring it. This is why the DA is pressing ahead with our court case to declare these race quotas unconstitutional.
South African legal precedent makes it clear that race quotas are illegal.
Nxesi’s utterances have removed all doubt that the Employment Equity Amendment Act is built entirely on race quotas that will regulate the employment of South Africans based on the colour of their skin.
Despite attempts by the ANC as well as its partners in parties like GOOD and the Patriotic Alliance to defend these race quotas against the DA’s opposition, we will boldly continue to lead this fight for non-racialism and against the ANC’s resurrection of apartheid-style race laws. Nothing will deter us in this fight, because history shows that South Africans will unite as one to defeat the ANC’s reintroduction of Apartheid laws.
Issued by John Steenhuisen, Leader of the Democratic Alliance, 28 July 2023
