Maimane warns on 'job killing' bills
Updated | By Catrine Malan
"These are pieces of legislation that will be quite harmful to job creation," he told a Cape Town Press Club meeting.
Noting South Africa was facing a jobs crisis of huge proportions, he said the country's recently-elected fifth Parliament needed to review and amend such "job-killing bills", which the previous Parliament had passed.
Among these was the Labour Relations Amendment Bill.
"The bill will create a state-run employment agency, and put it into competition with private employment agencies. It... will also control the fees private employment agencies can charge."
It would destroy competition, kill existing jobs and create a potential "monopolistic" agency.
"It is nothing more than the ANC's plan to appease unions," Maimane said.
Another bill his party strongly opposed was the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment Bill.
"In its current form, the bill fosters no market confidence in South Africa's oil and gas mining future."
It contained more than 30 instances in which rules could be determined by regulation rather than legislation.
"This provides no predictability and no certainty for investors, it also leaves the door wide open for potential corrupt activity."
The bill was "bulldozed" through Parliament's two Houses.
Another "highly problematic job-killing" measure was the Private Security Industry Regulation Amendment Bill.
This contained changes that would "allow the minister of police... to expropriate more than 51 percent of private security companies if owned by foreign nationals".
Such restrictions would discourage investment in the sector.
"These three bills currently sit with the president for signature into law, and the DA has petitioned President Jacob Zuma to send these bills back to Parliament... .
"President Zuma must furnish us with legal opinions that he has obtained in respect of the constitutionality of these bills, including whether the procedure for the passage of these bills was in fact constitutional," he said.
Show's Stories
-
Young girl finds confidence in swimming after losing leg
“Being in the water made me realise that I’m stronger than I thought I w...
Love Songs with Danny Painter an hour ago -
Princess Kate allegedly overdosed on sleeping pills
More conspiracy theories surrounding the Princess of Wales have made the...
Breakfast with Martin Bester 8 hours ago