The chairman of South Africa’s third-biggest grocery chain by revenue slammed laws planned by the government to increase racial diversity in the workplace and farm ownership.

Gareth Ackerman, chairman of Pick n Pay Stores Ltd. and son of Raymond Ackerman who expanded the business after acquiring its first four stores in 1967, primarily criticized the Employment Equity Amendment Act. The law is aimed at compelling companies to mirror South Africa’s national demographics in their workforces.

“This would have the effect of making large numbers of qualified people unemployed and substituting them with unqualified people,” he said according to a copy of a speech at the group’s annual general meeting on Wednesday, adding that the act is likely unconstitutional and companies are already trying to diversify their employee bases.

BloombergEqualityTwitter’s Surge in Harmful Content a Barrier to Advertiser Return

Read: Pick n Pay Stores Sees 1H Earnings Down More Than 20% Y/y

Ackerman also said a plan to allocate water licenses to farms based on the race of their owners would threaten food security as not enough Black farmers have the money to acquire commercial farming operations.

The comments put the Pick n Pay chairman in the midst of a thorny debate in South Africa, a country defined by race and the historical disempowerment of the Black majority. Still, the government has been criticized for allowing an education system to fall into decay, creating a skills shortage.

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiaGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJsb29tYmVyZy5jb20v...