IRR challenges racial classification laws with new draft bill and petition

The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) has reported growing public support for its call to repeal South Africa’s remaining race-based laws, following the momentum of its #WhatSACanBe campaign.

Launched four months ago, the campaign promotes evidence-based policies aimed at driving economic growth and social progress. One of its key proposals is the No More Race Laws Bill.

This draft legislation is designed to repeal race-based laws and end mandatory racial classification in South African law.

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The campaign emerges in response to the Employment Equity Amendment Act, introduced by Minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth. The Act enforces race-based targets for businesses and requires individuals and companies to report on racial and gender classifications to demonstrate compliance.

Makone Maja, strategic engagements manager at the IRR, criticised the legislation.

“This makes Minister Meth the perfect recipient of the No More Race Laws petition,” said Maja.

“The petition is anchored in the tenets of the No More Race Laws Bill and has so far received 12 373 signatures from ordinary South Africans who have had enough of race laws that rob the people they claim to benefit, while enabling the political elite to amass enormous wealth.”

Maja argued that such laws support what the IRR describes as a system of “fake transformation” that fails to uplift the nearly half of the population still living in poverty.

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According to the IRR, the Ministry of Employment and Labour has failed to deliver on job creation and continues to back legislation that undermines economic growth.

The organisation noted that South Africa continues to face some of the highest unemployment rates since the dawn of democracy, particularly among the youth.

“Blame for the last 10 years of little to no growth can be laid squarely at the door of laws that favour patronage over merit and value-for-money procurement,” Maja added.

“We can no longer afford to insist that race is relevant at the expense of true development and economic growth.”

The IRR intends to deliver both the draft bill and the petition signatures to Minister Meth, urging her to take the first step toward inclusive, merit-based job creation by removing race-based policies.