NEASA PRESS RELEASE: EMPLOYMENT EQUITY: Constitutional Court refuses leave to appeal.

PRESS RELEASE

10 March 2026

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT REFUSES LEAVE TO APPEAL

The Constitutional Court, on 10 March 2026, dismissed NEASA’s and Sakeliga’s application for leave to appeal directly to the Constitutional Court.

The application to the Constitutional Court emanates from an earlier judgement by the High Court which dismissed an urgent application to interdict the implementation of the Employment Equity (EE) targets, pending the finalisation of a review of the decision by the Minister of Employment and Labour to gazette the EE targets.

Although the Constitutional Court dismissed the application for direct access, NEASA and Sakeliga will continue with the fight against these unlawful and unachievable targets. NEASA and Sakeliga are currently awaiting a ruling from the Supreme Court of Appeal on its petition to appeal the aforementioned judgement of the High Court and will also proceed with the main application in the High Court to review and set aside the decision of the Minister, which will be heard in due course.

NEASA and Sakeliga will stay the course to fight this unlawful, unworkable and unsustainable race-based quota system which does not take into account any economic-, practical- or business realities and which has, together with a number of other ill-advised government policies, stunted economic growth and investment.  

This fight is far from over and NEASA is in it for the long term.

We will keep members abreast of any further developments in this regard.  

ISSUED BY
NEASA

MEDIA CONTACT
Charis Esema Onaolapo
Media Liaison (NEASA)
083 393 4435
media@neasa.co.za