TO: PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA HOUSES
FROM: KGANKI MATABANE
DATE: 15 May 2020
SUBJECT: BBC WELCOMES THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT DISMISSAL OF SOLIDARITY’S APPLICATION TO APPEAL DIRECTLY TO THE COURT ON AN URGENT BASIS
The Black Business Council (BBC) welcomes the Constitutional Court dismissal of Solidarity’s application to appeal directly to the court on an urgent basis. This follows the ruling by the Pretoria High Court that using Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) codes as a criterion for assisting companies in the Tourism sector is not unlawful.
In its ruling, the Constitutional Court said “this Court has concluded that the application should be dismissed as it is not in the interest of justice to hear it at this stage, as there are insufficient grounds raised for a direct appeal to this Court on an urgent basis.”
The BBC reiterates that the covid-19 pandemic should not be used to seek to suspend the Constitution of the country as well as its successive socio-economic transformation laws such as the BBBEE Act.