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In reply to a DA parliamentary question, Leader of Government Business, Dr Ivan Meyer, has revealed that the Western Cape Government will be mounting a legal challenge to the ANC National Government’s frivolous and irrational Employment Equity draft regulations.

The reply further confirmed that the Western Cape Department of Agriculture would be consulting with the agriculture industry in the province to determine what impact these regulations would have in practice. The regulations set sectoral targets, based on race, that would apply to any business with more than 50 employees.

The DA have made no secret of the fact that we do not support these draft regulations, and as a party of action we will fight tooth and nail to make sure that race-based policies that will only serve to cripple our economy, are not enacted.

MPP Andricus van der Westhuizen: “The DA in the Western Cape fully supports the Western Cape Government’s stance in relation to the Employment Equity Act draft regulations. We do not support racial quotas, and where we govern, we will stand by our principles as a non-racial party.

The quotas in the draft regulations threaten to take us back to apartheid-era overly prescriptive policies, that will only deter investment in our booming agriculture industry, with no regard for the free-market environment which they aim to control. Growing the economy and the demand for labour is the best route towards a more equal employment regime.”

Issued by Andricus van der Westhuizen, MPP - DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning