Tag: discrimination

The Employment Equity Amendment Act has been signed into law, which paves the way for setting enforceable numerical targets for employment equity for economic sectors and fining employers who are non-compliant

Living in South Africa, racism is at the centre of our history and day to day experiences. We hope that currently, the colour of our skin won’t affect how we are treated but, it’s in all our faces, constantly, even in spaces where your merit should be enough but here, we are again, being white and being wrong is sneezed at but being black and being wrong is punishable by ‘death’.

The past year has seen artificial intelligence (AI) become a dinner-table topic of conversation around the world, thanks to bots such as ChatGPT, which dazzles users with its ability to compose lifelike text and even computer code. But what happens when AI makes wrong decisions?

Tattoo discrimination is a very real problem in South African business, but do organisations have an inkpot to stand on? People with tattoos often face discrimination. They’ve been dismissed from their company, had their roles changed – or struggled to get a promotion – and they’ve been judged on the basis of their ink.

Discrimination based on one’s appearance is an ever-changing area of law that impacts employees and potential candidates worldwide. Subconscious appearance preferences that are founded on societal norms lead to employees and potential candidates being the subject of discrimination when they fail to meet certain, unilaterally imposed standards.

The agricultural sector across sub-Saharan Africa is critical to local and regional economies as a developmental base for food security and employment. Within it, there remains an invisible force driving productivity in the region and across the world.

All bank customers have a right to expect to be treated fairly, reasonably and ethically by their bank. This right is reinforced by the banks undertaking not to unfairly discriminate any customer on grounds such as marital status, gender, age or race in the provision of banking services or in the quality (and terms) of the services that are offered to the consumer.

Despite South Africa’s employment equity legislation, the biases and discrimination that characterised the ‘old South Africa’ still exists in the hearts and minds of many people. Such unfair discrimination could include, but is not limited to, discrimination on arbitrary or subjective grounds such as race, gender, family responsibility, religion, age, disability, opinion, and trade union affiliation.

The prohibition of religious, cultural, or political clothing and other symbols in the workplace is not a new topic facing employers in South Africa, but can this be a justifiable basis for discrimination in a post-COVID-19 return to work process?

Managing the gender transitioning of an employee is a complex process and could easily go wrong among traditional mindsets in the workplace. CRS discusses what companies can do to create a more inclusive work environment.