Four of South Africa’s (SA) top law firms are suing the government over new black employment and ownership targets aimed at undoing decades of racial injustice, calling them “irrational” and saying the timeline is unrealistic given ​the expertise required.

The case comes amid scrutiny of affirmative action policies, which aim to tackle the disadvantages that white-minority rule inflicted on the country’s non-white majority, partly fuelled by criticism from United States President ‌Donald Trump and SA‑born billionaire Elon Musk.

Underlying the court action, which aims to force the government to scrap the new targets, are tensions between some Black lawyers and the companies.

Ex-employees at two of the four have brought discrimination cases against them which the firms intend to defend. The firms declined to comment on individual suits.

The legal profession, like much of corporate SA, remains largely white three decades after the end of apartheid.

White people make up about 7% of the population, and 72% of partners at top law firms, according to ​the industry regulator.

In late 2024, the government introduced a new code for the legal sector under a policy known as Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE), setting a target of 50% Black ownership of large firms within five ​years, with 25% Black women.

The challenge to that code brought by the law firms, Deneys (formerly Norton Rose Fulbright SA), Webber Wentzel, Werksmans and Bowmans, will be heard in ⁠Pretoria’s High Court on Monday.

Reuters spoke with 13 current and former employees of Deneys, Webber Wentzel and Bowmans for this story; it was unable to reach anyone from Werksmans.

All described either subtle or explicit ​discrimination which they said made it harder for Black people to advance and caused many to leave out of frustration.

They said this included apparent favouritism in the allocation of case work, getting passed over for promotions they felt they merited at ​least as much as white colleagues and, in one case, refusing reduced hours for a new Black mother that were granted to a white mother in a similar situation.

Reuters could not independently verify their accounts.

Deneys declined to comment on allegations, while Webber Wentzel and Bowmans said they do not tolerate discrimination and that they have processes for addressing complaints.

“It’s so obvious, the racism, it’s all palpable (but) silent,” said Inga Dyantyi, 30, who left Deneys in 2024 and has accused the firm of racial discrimination in a pending case at the Labour ​Court.

Deneys has denied her claims in court papers seen by Reuters.

Dyantyi specifically accused a Director of making demeaning remarks about her and claimed that the firm made her continued employment so intolerable that she had to resign.

Another black lawyer ​has a pending discrimination case at the Labour Court against Webber Wentzel, which she also accused of making her employment intolerable. She declined to be named out of fear it would hurt her job prospects.

Webber Wentzel has filed a notice of intention to ‌defend which ⁠was seen by Reuters.

Two other black women said they had brought complaints of unfair treatment against Deneys and Webber Wentzel to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, a first step in workplace disputes.

One case was dismissed on procedural grounds and the lawyer resigned, while the other ended in a settlement.

–Reuters–