Civil rights organisation Free SA has launched a nationwide campaign opposing the newly implemented Employment Equity (EE) targets, which the organisation warns amount to unconstitutional racial quotas. The regulations apply to all companies with more than 50 employees and will enforce race-based targets across skilled, professional, and management levels over the next five years.
Free SA is calling on South Africans to make their voices heard through a public submission to the Minister of Employment and Labour, the Honourable Nomakhosazana Meth, by 30 September 2025.
“These quotas risk reducing human beings to racial statistics, rather than recognising individual skills, merit, and potential,” said Reuben Coetzer, spokesperson for Free SA. “They do not reflect the constitutional promise of non-racialism and equality before the law.”
Section 9 of South Africa’s Constitution protects citizens from unfair discrimination. Free SA argues that blanket racial quotas, especially in regions or sectors where national demographics cannot reasonably be mirrored, may violate this right.
“While we support transformation, these quotas are a step backward. They are neither rational nor fair, and they ultimately entrench division,” added Coetzer.
Free SA has raised serious concerns regarding the proposed quotas, highlighting that they may amount to unconstitutional discrimination by imposing blanket exclusions based solely on race, in contravention of Section 9 of the Constitution. The organisation also warns of potential negative economic consequences, noting that such measures could lead to the exclusion or emigration of skilled professionals, thereby harming productivity and exacerbating South Africa’s existing skills shortage.
Free SA is urging the government to immediately suspend the proposed race-based quotas and instead pursue a more effective, inclusive alternative. The organisation calls for the establishment of an independent, non-governmental body to assess the economic impact of Employment Equity policy, and advocates for a fundamental shift toward a skills-based economy where opportunity is linked to merit and potential. Free SA believes true transformation must be rooted in education, training, and upliftment, rather than demographic manipulation.
“South Africa needs meaningful reform, not racial engineering. True transformation does not come from racial accounting, but from empowering individuals, regardless of race, to succeed,” said Coetzer.
Join the Campaign
Add your voice to Free SA’s submission by clicking here.
