NCYL Slams DA's 'Racist' Court Challenge: 'Not About Quotas, But Justice'

ANCYL President Collen Malatji.

The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) has strongly condemned the Democratic Alliance's (DA) court challenge against the Employment Equity Amendment Act.

The DA's application seeks to declare the Act and its affirmative action measures unconstitutional, which the ANCYL views as a direct assault on South Africa's constitutional democracy and values of redress and equality.

The ANCYL argues that the DA's challenge is part of a broader strategy to undermine transformative legislation and halt South Africa's progress towards a non-racial, non-sexist society. By targeting Section 15A and the Minister's authority to regulate sector-specific employment equity targets, the DA aligns itself with anti-transformation forces that seek to entrench white privilege at the expense of historically disadvantaged communities.

The Employment Equity Amendment Act aims to correct decades of deliberate exclusion of Black people, women, and persons with disabilities from meaningful economic participation. The statistics are stark: white South Africans hold over 60% of top management positions in the private sector, while nearly 60% of Black youth remain unemployed. These disparities confirm the persistent structural inequality that the Act seeks to remedy.

The ANCYL calls on all progressive formations, trade unions, and civil society to stand united in defense of the Employment Equity Amendment Act. The youth of this country will not allow the DA or any of its allies to turn back the clock on justice and equity. They will mobilize, educate, and defend the gains of their hard-won democracy.

The ANCYL's message to the DA is clear: this is not about quotas, but about justice. It's about correcting the historical injustices that have held back Black people, women, and persons with disabilities for far too long. The DA's attempt to reverse these gains will not be tolerated.