Concern is mounting that proposed changes to the labour law will pit black and coloured people against each other in the Western Cape.
The issue was raised by former premier and Cape Town mayor Pieter Marais during a meeting with the ANC provincial leadership yesterday.
Marais said the draft Employment Equity Amendment Bill was unreasonable, unjustifiable and impaired the dignity of coloured and Indian people across the country.
“Some people in coloured communities are already telling black people to go back to the Eastern Cape, while blacks in Khayelitsha and other areas say their time has come and they want jobs,” said Marais.
He said the bill would create further tension in the Western Cape if enacted.
“We don’t want a situation where we have black and coloureds fighting,” he said.
“We came to the ANC to defend the constitution of our country. The constitution says that we must heal the divisions of the past.”
Marais said the proposed amendments could also lead to intergovernmental conflict.
“Mayor (Dan) Plato has said that he would never implement it. So if the bill is passed and certain provinces or municipalities do not comply, what happens?”
Marais was part of a delegation of “organisational leaders indigenous to the Western Cape”.
The group set up the meeting with ANC provincial chairman Marius Fransman and his executive after starting a petition against the proposed labour law amendments.
Other members of the delegation were Professor Jattie Bredenkamp, Dr Danny Titus, Christo van der Rheede, and Cecil Herandien.
Young Communist League secretary and Parliament’s labour whip Buti Manamela was also present.
He said the ANC was willing to engage and listen to various groups before making any changes to the law.
Manamela said trade union Solidarity’s statement on the proposed amendments “was all about cheap politicking”.
The bill will result in the demographic benchmark for measuring compliance with equity targets being changed from a regional to a national standard.
If it becomes law in its current form, it will force employers to ensure that about four of every five new appointments – and four of every five promotions – are reserved for black African workers, say experts.
Dirk Hermann, Solidarity’s deputy general secretary, said the amendments set “unrealistic race targets” and would cause almost one million coloureds to lose their jobs.
Fransman said the discussions with Marais and his delegation were “fruitful” and the ANC provincial leadership would take their concerns to the party’s national executive committee.
The group of concerned leaders were expected to discuss their concerns with Premier Helen Zille soon. - Cape Argus