South Africa's DA party goes to court over employment equity quota

South Africa’s Democratic Alliance (DA) party went to court on Tuesday to challenge the Employment Equity Amendment Act, in the latest crisis in the country’s government of national unity.

It strongly opposes section 15(A) of the new law which allows the labour minister to introduce numerical targets in some economic sectors.

This will require businesses with more than 50 employees to ensure their workforce reflects historically disadvantaged groups, including black people, women, and those living with disabilities.

The DA argues that this is unconstitutional and that employment should be based on skill and merit, rather than race, gender, or disability status.

It has described the legislation as “anti-transformative” and says it will result in job losses.

The African National Congress (ANC) party labour minister has labelled the legal action as a “clear attempt to halt transformation in the workplace and preserve historical inequalities”.

The court battle signals the latest clash between the DA and the ANC, the two biggest parties in government of national unity.

A recent challenge to a planned increase in Value Added Tax saw them at loggerheads, with many suggesting the fragile unity government could collapse as a result of their differences.

That conflict was resolved through a court challenge by the DA, supported by the Economic Freedom Fighters party, which saw the country scrap plans to hike VAT by 1 percentage point over two years.