Parliament asked to debate and stop new race law

The Cape Forum and Solidarity, together with community leaders today petitioned Parliament in Cape Town about the new race law and the recently published race regulations. Among other things, these groups request a special parliamentary debate on the matter and for Parliament to intervene and stop the law. According to the petition, the new law and the regulations are unconstitutional and irrational.

“The regulations that have been published have provoked major reaction countrywide. Their impact will cause major disruption in South Africa. This is plainly a race law that classifies and manipulates society on the basis of race,” Heindrich Wyngaard, chairperson of the Cape Forum said.

According to Solidarity Chief Executive Dr Dirk Hermann, the regulations show what the government’s real intention is with the law. “The consequences of the law passed by the Parliament are obvious. This not only justifies a parliamentary debate but it necessitates it. South Africa will want to hear how Parliament can justify such kind of social engineering. Now that the intention is clear and the unconstitutionality is obvious in the regulations, Parliament must do the right thing and stop the law and the regulations,” Hermann said.

This action taken by Solidarity and the Cape Forum stems from the resolution these two parties, together with around 30 other organisations had signed on 6 June in which they undertake to resist the regulations.

The two organisations are also of the opinion that by not giving sufficient time for input on the regulations, the government is deliberately suppressing the voices of thousands of employees and employers.

“The regulations require that positions for coloured employees be reduced by 25% and that positions for white and Indian employees be reduced by 66%. These regulations want to deprive people of their livelihood, and to do so on the basis of skin colour. To think that any person or business will readily accept this is absurd,” Wyngaard contended.

“The government only acts in its own interest and according to its own ideology. It disregards the rights of minorities and refuses to consider the regulations’ economic impact. Through this petition we want to see that a debate is opened on this law, and we want to participate in that debate. It is time for the government to realise that it has a responsibility towards the entire South Africa and not just towards its cadres or potential voters. Solidarity, the Cape Forum and other community leaders stand together to remind the government of this very responsibility and to call them to account. Such racial discrimination will not be tolerated,” Hermann concluded.