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South Africa’s main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), has launched a legal challenge against the Employment Equity Amendment Act, deepening tensions within the country’s fragile government of national unity.
The DA is specifically targeting Section 15(A) of the law, which grants the labour minister the power to set binding numerical targets for workplace diversity in certain sectors. The provision requires companies with more than 50 employees to align their workforce with national demographics, giving priority to historically disadvantaged groups, including black South Africans, women, and people with disabilities.
Calling the law unconstitutional, the DA argues it undermines the principles of merit and skill-based employment. The party has labelled the legislation “anti-transformative,” warning it could trigger job losses and harm the economy.
Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi, a senior figure in the ruling African National Congress (ANC), condemned the lawsuit as a “clear attempt to halt transformation in the workplace and preserve historical inequalities.”
The court battle marks another flashpoint in the uneasy alliance between the ANC and DA—the two largest parties in South Africa’s coalition government formed after last year’s elections failed to produce a clear majority.
Just weeks earlier, the DA successfully blocked a proposed increase in Value Added Tax (VAT), arguing it would disproportionately impact the poor. That case, which was also backed by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led to the abandonment of a planned 1 percentage point VAT hike over two years.
With ideological divisions sharpening, many observers are questioning how long the unity government can hold together.
