The Labour Court reviewed and set aside a CCMA arbitration award after finding that the Commissioner committed a gross irregularity during the arbitration proceedings. Despite this, the Court substituted the award with a finding that the employee's dismissal was both procedurally and substantively fair, concluding that remitting the matter to the CCMA would serve no purpose because the dismissal was lawful. In SONY ARISTOS MUYULENU V GLOBAL TELESALES (PTY) LTD [2025] ZALCCT (C342/2024) the employee had been employed by Global Telesales (Pty) Ltd since August 2009. He was a citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo who had been granted refugee status in South Africa. His refugee status expired on 5 July 2023, leaving him without legal authorisation to work in the country. The employer convened an incapacity hearing and dismissed him on 25 July 2023 because it could no longer lawfully employ him. The dismissal letter advised that he would be free to apply for any available vacancies once he obtained documentation authorising him to work in South Africa. The employee referred an unfair dismissal dispute to the CCMA. The Commissioner found that the dismissal was procedurally and substantively fair. Dissatisfied with the outcome, the employee approached the Labour Court to review and set aside the arbitration award. The Labour Court first considered whether the Commissioner had reached a decision that no reasonable arbitrator could have made. It held that the employee's continued employment would have been unlawful under section 38(1) of the Immigration Act because he no longer possessed a valid immigration status permitting employment. As a result, the Commissioner had correctly found that the dismissal was substantively fair. However, the Court found that the manner in which the Commissioner conducted the arbitration was unacceptable. The Commissioner repeatedly interrupted the self-represented employee, curtailed his cross-examination, argued with him, made inappropriate remarks about his language skills and immigration status, and generally failed to ensure that he received a fair hearing. The Court held that this conduct amounted to a patent gross irregularity in the conduct of the arbitration proceedings. Ordinarily, such a finding would result in the matter being remitted to the CCMA for a fresh hearing. The Court declined to do so because the undisputed facts established that the employer could not legally continue employing the applicant once his refugee status had expired. A further arbitration could therefore only produce the same result and would unnecessarily prolong the dispute. The Labour Court replaced the arbitration award with one declaring the dismissal both procedurally and substantively fair. No order as to costs was made. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific legal guidance on protected disclosures, employment practices, or compliance obligations, consult a qualified labour law practitioner. © 2026 Global Business Solutions (GBS). All rights reserved. Stay ahead of South Africa’s changing labour law South Africa’s workplace laws are reaching The Tipping Point. Join us at #ALLU2026 – the Annual Labour Law Update for a practical update on the latest case law, legislative changes, Employment Equity developments, AI in the workplace and the issues employers need to prepare for now. Get the insight. Understand the impact. Make better workplace decisions. Register for #ALLU2026 View our upcoming events: Upcoming Events and Qualifications, like #ALLU2026; Shop Stewards: Mastering Roles & Responsibilities; Diversity & Inclusion: Bridges of Belonging; Finance for Non-Financial Managers; CLAUDE for Employment Relations (Session Options: Sept. OR Oct.); and National Certificate in Labour Relations Practice (NQF 6). *All workshops are offered as customised in-house training that can be presented virtually or on-site.

Shop stewards play an important role in South African workplaces. They represent employees, communicate with management, assist in grievances and disciplinary proceedings, monitor compliance with employment laws and collective agreements, and often help resolve workplace conflict before it develops into a larger dispute. But being elected as a shop steward does not automatically mean someone understands the legal boundaries, responsibilities, and practical skills required to perform the role effectively. South Africa's Labour Relations Act (LRA) provides specific functions and rights for trade union representatives. Understanding these provisions is important not only for shop stewards themselves but also for managers, HR professionals, employee relations practitioners, and organisations working with recognised trade unions. What is a shop steward? A shop steward is an employee elected by members of a representative trade union to represent union members within the workplace. The Labour Relations Act generally uses the term "trade union representative", although the term "shop steward" is widely used in South African workplaces. A shop steward occupies an unusual position because the individual remains an employee of the organisation while simultaneously performing an important representative function on behalf of employees and the trade union. This means effective shop stewards need to understand both their rights and the boundaries of their role. What are the roles and responsibilities of a shop steward in South Africa? Section 14 of the Labour Relations Act establishes important functions of trade union representatives. These include: Assisting and representing employees in grievance proceedings when requested by the employee; Assisting and representing employees in disciplinary proceedings when requested; Monitoring an employer's compliance with workplace-related provisions of the Labour Relations Act; Monitoring compliance with laws regulating terms and conditions of employment; Monitoring compliance with collective agreements binding on the employer; Reporting alleged contraventions to the employer, representative trade union or relevant authority; Performing additional functions agreed between the representative trade union and employer. In practice, however, an effective shop steward's role frequently extends beyond knowing these statutory functions. Shop stewards often become an important communication link between employees, unions and management. Can a shop steward represent an employee in a disciplinary hearing? Yes. Section 14 of the Labour Relations Act specifically provides for a trade union representative to assist and represent an employee in grievance and disciplinary proceedings at the employee's request. Effective representation requires considerably more than simply attending the hearing. A shop steward may need to understand how to: Prepare for a disciplinary hearing Understand the allegations against the employee Assess available evidence Prepare questions Present evidence Conduct cross-examination Re-examine witnesses where appropriate Develop opening and closing statements Identify procedural concerns Present mitigating circumstances Understand appropriate sanctions Poor preparation can weaken an employee's representation and create unnecessary conflict during proceedings. This is why disciplinary hearing skills form an important part of shop steward development. What is the role of a shop steward in a grievance? A shop steward can assist an employee in understanding and navigating an organisation's grievance procedure. This can include helping the employee identify the issue, reviewing relevant policies or agreements, assisting with the formulation of the grievance, accompanying or representing the employee during proceedings, and helping communicate the employee's concerns constructively. Good grievance handling is not about escalating every disagreement. Where possible, effective employee representation should help workplace concerns move through the correct internal processes and encourage constructive resolution. What role do shop stewards play in collective bargaining? Collective bargaining is a central feature of South Africa's labour relations framework. Shop stewards may play an important role in communicating employee concerns, understanding bargaining mandates, explaining collective agreements, and supporting communication between employees, unions, and management. Depending on the organisation and bargaining structure, shop stewards may encounter both plant-level and broader bargaining arrangements. They therefore need to understand: The purpose of collective bargaining Bargaining structures Collective agreements Trade union organisational rights Employee mandates Negotiation principles Communication during bargaining The relationship between unions and management A shop steward who understands the bargaining environment can contribute more constructively to labour relations within the organisation. What are the rights of shop stewards under the Labour Relations Act? The Labour Relations Act provides qualifying trade union representatives with important protections and organisational rights. Section 14 provides, subject to reasonable conditions, for reasonable paid time off during working hours to perform trade union representative functions and to undertake training relevant to those functions. However, shop steward rights do not exist independently of workplace rules, collective agreements and the broader employment relationship. This distinction is important. A shop steward is both an employee and a representative. Understanding when someone is acting in each capacity—and what rights and responsibilities accompany that role—is an important component of effective labour relations. Can a shop steward be disciplined? Being a shop steward does not provide blanket immunity from workplace discipline. Shop stewards remain employees and are still subject to legitimate workplace rules and standards. At the same time, employers need to recognise, and respect the legitimate representative functions afforded to trade union representatives. This can create challenging situations for both management and shop stewards. Clear knowledge of labour law, organisational rights, collective agreements, and internal procedures helps both parties distinguish legitimate representation from conduct that may fall outside those protections. Why are communication skills important for shop stewards? Some of the most important shop steward capabilities are not purely legal. Shop stewards regularly communicate in emotionally charged situations involving grievances, discipline, organisational change, workplace dissatisfaction, and negotiations. They therefore benefit from strong skills in: Active listening Emotional intelligence Conflict management Negotiation Giving and receiving feedback Problem-solving Confidentiality Relationship building The objective should not be to eliminate disagreement. Disagreement is a normal part of employment relationships. The greater skill is learning how to manage disagreement constructively. What role does a shop steward play in workplace conflict? Shop stewards are often among the first people employees approach when workplace problems arise. Their response can influence whether a concern is resolved internally or escalates into a larger dispute. Effective shop stewards should be able to distinguish between: A grievance; A disciplinary matter; An incapacity matter; A collective dispute; A misunderstanding that may be resolved informally; A matter requiring formal external dispute resolution. They should also understand when matters may progress to institutions such as the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) or a relevant bargaining council. Knowing the correct dispute-resolution pathway helps prevent unnecessary escalation and protects the interests of everyone involved. What makes an effective shop steward? An effective shop steward needs more than confidence. The strongest representatives combine legal knowledge with judgement, communication, and leadership capability. They understand employee rights without assuming that every management decision is unlawful. They understand management's responsibilities without abandoning their representative mandate. They know when to challenge, when to negotiate, when to escalate, and when constructive engagement may achieve a better outcome. Effective shop stewards typically demonstrate: Knowledge of labour legislation Understanding of workplace policies Knowledge of applicable collective agreements Strong representation skills Negotiation capability Conflict-management skills Emotional intelligence Confidentiality Credibility with employees Constructive engagement with management These capabilities can significantly influence the quality of labour relations within an organisation. Why should employers invest in shop steward training? Shop steward training should not be viewed exclusively as something that benefits trade unions. Employers can also benefit from knowledgeable, capable, and responsible employee representatives. A poorly equipped shop steward may misunderstand procedures, escalate disputes unnecessarily, or struggle to communicate complex workplace issues accurately. A well-trained shop steward is better positioned to understand the law, recognise legitimate workplace processes, represent employees effectively, and engage management constructively. This can contribute to: Earlier resolution of workplace concerns Better grievance management More effective disciplinary proceedings Improved union-management communication Greater procedural understanding More constructive collective bargaining Reduced unnecessary workplace conflict Stronger labour relations In this sense, shop steward development can form part of a broader workplace relations strategy. What training do shop stewards need in South Africa? A comprehensive shop steward development programme should go beyond a basic introduction to labour legislation. Training should ideally cover the practical situations representatives are likely to encounter in the workplace. Important areas include: Labour law foundations Shop stewards should understand South Africa's labour law framework, the right to fair labour practices and the respective rights and responsibilities of employers and employees. Organisational rights and collective bargaining Representatives should understand trade union rights, collective agreements, bargaining structures and their own role within the union-management relationship. Grievance and dispute resolution Shop stewards should understand internal dispute-resolution mechanisms as well as external processes involving the CCMA and bargaining councils. Conflict management and negotiation Representatives need practical tools for managing disagreement, negotiating effectively, and preventing unnecessary escalation. Disciplinary representation Shop stewards should know how to prepare and represent employees properly during disciplinary proceedings, including dealing with evidence, questioning witnesses, and presenting opening and closing statements. Leadership and emotional intelligence Legal knowledge alone does not create an effective representative. Shop stewards also need the interpersonal skills required to build credibility, manage difficult conversations, and develop constructive relationships. Where can organisations find shop steward training in South Africa? Organisations looking for shop steward training should seek programmes that combine South African labour law with practical representation, dispute-resolution, negotiation, conflict-management, and leadership skills. Global Business Solutions (GBS) provides labour relations, employment law, and shop steward development programmes for organisations across South Africa. GBS supports organisations in East London, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and throughout South Africa. In addition to its regional presence, GBS consultants work with organisations nationally. Training and consulting can be delivered virtually as well as through customised on-site programmes, allowing organisations outside the major centres to access the same specialist labour relations expertise. What should employers look for when choosing shop steward training? When comparing shop steward training providers, organisations should consider whether the programme addresses both legal knowledge and practical application. Useful questions include: Does the programme explain the Labour Relations Act? Does it cover the statutory role and responsibilities of shop stewards? Does it teach grievance handling? Does it include disciplinary hearing representation? Does it address collective bargaining? Are negotiation and conflict-management skills included? Does it explain CCMA and bargaining council processes? Are practical exercises incorporated? Can the training be customised for the organisation's workplace environment? Can it be delivered nationally, virtually, or on-site? The goal should be to develop representatives who can apply what they learn when real workplace situations arise. A practical next step For organisations wanting to strengthen the capability of new or existing shop stewards, Global Business Solutions is presenting Shop Stewards: Mastering Roles & Responsibilities on 9–10 September 2026. The two-day virtual programme is designed to equip shop stewards with the legal knowledge, interpersonal capability, and practical skills required to represent employees responsibly and contribute to constructive labour relations. The programme covers labour law foundations, collective bargaining and union dynamics, internal and external dispute resolution, conflict management, negotiation, emotional intelligence, grievance processes, incapacity, and disciplinary proceedings. Importantly, delegates also develop practical disciplinary representation skills covering opening and closing statements, evidence-in-chief, cross-examination, and re-examination. The programme is therefore not simply about understanding what a shop steward is. It focuses on helping shop stewards understand how to perform the role effectively when real workplace challenges arise. Customised in-house training can also be delivered virtually or on-site for organisations wanting to train groups of shop stewards within their own workplace. Shop Stewards: Mastering Roles & Responsibilities Dates: 9–10 September 2026 Time: 09:00–16:00 Format: Virtual Presented by: Global Business Solutions The programme is presented by Justine Weddel, an admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa specialising in labour law and a consultant to Global Business Solutions. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific legal guidance on protected disclosures, employment practices, or compliance obligations, consult a qualified labour law practitioner. © 2026 Global Business Solutions (GBS). All rights reserved. Stay ahead of South Africa’s changing labour law South Africa’s workplace laws are reaching The Tipping Point. Join us at #ALLU2026 – the Annual Labour Law Update for a practical update on the latest case law, legislative changes, Employment Equity developments, AI in the workplace and the issues employers need to prepare for now. Get the insight. Understand the impact. Make better workplace decisions. Register for #ALLU2026 View our upcoming events: Upcoming Events and Qualifications, like #ALLU2026; Shop Stewards: Mastering Roles & Responsibilities; Diversity & Inclusion: Bridges of Belonging; Finance for Non-Financial Managers; CLAUDE for Employment Relations (Session Options: Sept. OR Oct.); and National Certificate in Labour Relations Practice (NQF 6). *All workshops are offered as customised in-house training that can be presented virtually or on-site.

The Labour Appeal Court has ruled that calling a manager a "white racist" does not automatically amount to racist conduct and that the context in which such words are used is critical when determining whether dismissal is fair. In The Commercial Stevedoring Agricultural and Allied Workers Union obo Vuyani Qomoyi v Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration and Others (Case No. CA 18/2024, delivered 8 April 2026), the Court overturned both a Labour Court judgment and a CCMA arbitration award, finding that the employee's dismissal was substantively unfair. The employee was employed by Namaqua Wines as a general worker and served as a shop steward for the Commercial Stevedoring Agricultural and Allied Workers Union (CSAAWU). In August 2021, the employee was unexpectedly summoned to the human resources office by his manager. Upon arriving, he witnessed another black employee being dismissed without having been involved in the process as the employee's shop steward. During a heated exchange, the employee repeatedly shouted that his manager was a "white racist" who was "firing black people". Namaqua charged the employee with several offences, including displaying racist behaviour. Although he received only a final written warning for insolence, he was dismissed solely for allegedly displaying racist behaviour. The CCMA found the dismissal to be fair, and the Labour Court dismissed his review application. The Labour Appeal Court reached a different conclusion. The LAC held that both the Commissioner and the Labour Court failed to apply the legal test established by the Labour Appeal Court and endorsed by the Constitutional Court in Rustenburg Platinum Mine v SAEWA obo Bester. That test requires decision-makers to consider whether a reasonable, objective and informed person, taking into account the full context, would regard the words as racist. The Court stressed that merely referring to someone as a "white racist" does not, without more, amount to racist conduct. The words must be assessed in their historical, social and workplace context. In this case, the employee’s remarks were made immediately after witnessing what he believed was the unfair dismissal of a black employee. The Court found that he was expressing his opinion about what he had observed rather than demonstrating racial prejudice or asserting racial superiority over his manager. The Court also criticised the employer for focusing on disciplining the employee instead of investigating the allegations of racism that prompted his comments. It noted that allegations of racism should be taken seriously and properly investigated rather than dismissed out of hand. Finding that the dismissal lacked a fair reason, the Labour Appeal Court ordered Namaqua Wines to retrospectively reinstate the employee. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific legal guidance on protected disclosures, employment practices, or compliance obligations, consult a qualified labour law practitioner. © 2026 Global Business Solutions (GBS). All rights reserved. View our upcoming events: Upcoming Events and Qualifications, like EE Code of Good Practice Pop-up, CLAUDE for Employment Relations (Session Options: Aug., Sept. OR Oct.), B-BBEE Bootcamp, Disciplinary Enquiry & Arbitration Master Class, Occupational Skills Programme: Skills Development Facilitation Practitioner (SDF), and National Certificate in Labour Relations Practice (NQF 6). *All workshops are offered as customised in-house training that can be presented virtually or on-site. Stay ahead of South Africa’s changing labour law South Africa’s workplace laws are reaching The Tipping Point. Join us at #ALLU2026 – the Annual Labour Law Update for a practical update on the latest case law, legislative changes, Employment Equity developments, AI in the workplace and the issues employers need to prepare for now. Get the insight. Understand the impact. Make better workplace decisions. Register for #ALLU2026

Every August we reach for the same vocabulary. Women are strong. Women are resilient. Women endure. I used that language myself in this space last year, and I meant every word of it. A year on, I want to place something less comfortable beside it: resilience is what you draw on when nothing else is available to you. It is a survival response, not a career strategy and when we celebrate it too readily, we quietly excuse the conditions that made it necessary. I say this as someone who has needed it more than once. There were years of studying in the hours left over after everyone else’s needs had been met, a long stretch out of action after a serious injury, and a year in which I qualified and was retrenched within months of each other. I offer none of that as a credential. I mention it because it is ordinary most women reading this have their own version of it, and hardly any of us look back on those years as the ones in which we grew. We survived them. That is a different thing. If you asked me what carried me through, the honest answer is not grit. Grit was the fuel; it was never the vehicle. What I remember with any clarity is not the endurance at all. It is a much smaller set of moments in which somebody else decided to act. What actually moved me A manager who handed me a file that was plainly above my grade, let me carry it, and then corrected me privately rather than in front of the room. A colleague who said my name in a meeting I was not in, and kept saying it. Someone who looked at a curriculum vitae with visible interruptions in it and read range where others read risk. A mentor who told me the truth about a piece of work when encouragement would have been kinder and considerably less useful. None of those people were running a development programme. What they had in common is that each of them absorbed a measure of personal risk on my behalf. That is the distinction that matters, and it is the one we most often blur. Mentorship offers advice; sponsorship spends capital. Advice is generous, and it is cheap. Putting your own credibility behind someone who has not yet proved themselves is neither. Most of the women I know have been mentored generously and sponsored rarely. Growth is uncomfortable, and it is seldom private The other thing I have learned about growth is that it almost never happened while I felt ready. It happened when I was given something I did not feel equipped for and had to become equal to it in full view of other people. Every meaningful step in my professional life has been preceded by the private conviction that I was about to be found out. Women are often told that the answer to this is confidence. I am not persuaded. Hesitation is frequently an accurate reading of the room rather than a personal failing: many of us have learned, correctly, that our mistakes are remembered longer and attributed differently. The remedy is not to instruct women to feel more assured. It is to build conditions in which a woman’s first attempt at something difficult is received the way a man’s first attempt is usually received — as a learning curve rather than a verdict. What I owe forward Much of my work centres on the machinery of transformation: strategic plans, changing legislation, policies, and the documents organisations use to show commitment. That work matters, and I would defend it. But no plan has ever promoted anyone. Decisions about who is developed, trusted, and advanced are made by people in ordinary conversations, most of which are never recorded. Policy creates the obligation; people determine the outcome. That makes the obligation personal and precise. Say a person’s name in the rooms they are not in. Entrust them with the difficult file, not only the safe one. Offer honest correction privately because you believe they can grow from it. Be deliberate about who you back, and notice whether they all resemble you. And be honest that women do not automatically become one another’s advocates: shared experience is not the same as solidarity, and solidarity does not arrive by itself. I have also learned to accept support without treating it as a debt or a verdict on my competence. That took longer than it should have. Many capable women decline help in order to prove they do not require it, and pay for that in years. The question worth asking this month By all means let us celebrate endurance in August. Behind most women’s achievements there is a quieter history of sacrifice and persistence that deserves to be seen. But endurance is not advancement, and admiration is not support. The more searching question is this: whose name did you say this year, at a point when saying it cost you something? Who did you hand the difficult work to? Who did you tell the truth to, because you thought they could take it? Resilience got me through. Other people got me here. The women coming behind us should need less of the first because they have more of the second — and that is largely within our gift. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific legal guidance on protected disclosures, employment practices, or compliance obligations, consult a qualified labour law practitioner. © 2026 Global Business Solutions (GBS). All rights reserved. View our upcoming events: Upcoming Events and Qualifications, like EE Code of Good Practice Pop-up, CLAUDE for Employment Relations (Session Options: Aug., Sept. OR Oct.), B-BBEE Bootcamp, Disciplinary Enquiry & Arbitration Master Class, Occupational Skills Programme: Skills Development Facilitation Practitioner (SDF), and National Certificate in Labour Relations Practice (NQF 6). *All workshops are offered as customised in-house training that can be presented virtually or on-site. Stay ahead of South Africa’s changing labour law South Africa’s workplace laws are reaching The Tipping Point. Join us at #ALLU2026 – the Annual Labour Law Update for a practical update on the latest case law, legislative changes, Employment Equity developments, AI in the workplace and the issues employers need to prepare for now. Get the insight. Understand the impact. Make better workplace decisions. Register for #ALLU2026

Women’s Month invites organisations to reflect on equity, representation, and opportunity. These conversations are essential, but they often overlook a quieter form of work that shapes workplace culture every day: the work of connection. In many teams, connection is sustained through countless small acts such as noticing when someone is under pressure, creating a sense of belonging, softening tension in difficult conversations, and helping people feel seen. These behaviours are often described as natural or informal, yet they are central to trust, resilience, collaboration, and retention. The challenge is that this relational labour frequently falls to women without being named, measured, or shared. When organisations treat connection as invisible background work, they risk undervaluing one of the most important contributors to healthy team performance. Intentional practices such as circle time create space for connection to become a collective responsibility rather than an unspoken expectation placed on a few. They invite people to meet beyond roles and hierarchy, listen with greater presence, and recognise the human dynamics that influence how work gets done. Real inclusion is not achieved only through policy or representation. It is built in the everyday spaces where people are heard, acknowledged, and able to participate fully. If organisations want more inclusive and resilient cultures, they must start treating connection not as an optional soft skill, but as core leadership work. Circle & Square — humanising organisations since 2002. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific legal guidance on protected disclosures, employment practices, or compliance obligations, consult a qualified labour law practitioner. © 2026 Global Business Solutions (GBS). All rights reserved. View our upcoming events: Upcoming Events and Qualifications, like EE Code of Good Practice Pop-up, CLAUDE for Employment Relations (Session Options: Aug., Sept. OR Oct.), B-BBEE Bootcamp, Disciplinary Enquiry & Arbitration Master Class, Occupational Skills Programme: Skills Development Facilitation Practitioner (SDF), and National Certificate in Labour Relations Practice (NQF 6). *All workshops are offered as customised in-house training that can be presented virtually or on-site. Stay ahead of South Africa’s changing labour law South Africa’s workplace laws are reaching The Tipping Point. Join us at #ALLU2026 – the Annual Labour Law Update for a practical update on the latest case law, legislative changes, Employment Equity developments, AI in the workplace and the issues employers need to prepare for now. Get the insight. Understand the impact. Make better workplace decisions. Register for #ALLU2026

I have stood at the top of Kilimanjaro. It is one of those experiences that stays with you. The cold. The exhaustion. The moments when your body asks whether continuing is really necessary. The strange discipline of focusing on the next step because thinking about the entire climb becomes overwhelming. And then eventually, the summit. People like summit photographs. They capture the moment when the difficult part appears to be over. Life is rarely that neat. Because Kilimanjaro was difficult, but it was not the first mountain I had climbed. This Women’s Month, I have been thinking about the mountains that women climb every day that nobody takes photographs of. The young woman trying to become the first graduate in her family. The mother returning to work and wondering whether she can still compete. The woman sitting in a meeting with an idea she has not yet found the confidence to voice. The employee studying after hours because she knows the life she wants will require more from her. The woman starting again after something did not work out. I recognise parts of that journey. I grew up in the Eastern Cape. If somebody had shown the younger version of me a photograph of the life I live today and said, “This is where you are going,” I am not sure I would have believed them. Joint CEO. Business owner. Commissioner. Author. We tend to describe lives from the summit backwards. We list the achievements. We leave out the kilometres. When I was told that we were writing Ubuntu 3.0 and that I needed to write my chapter, my first reaction was not certainty. I remember thinking that I had never imagined myself writing a book. Then I realised something. I did not need to invent a story worth telling. I simply needed to tell the story I had lived. Women are often told to be more confident. Speak up. Take the opportunity. Back yourself. There is truth in that advice. But confidence is not always a prerequisite for movement. Sometimes you take the step while you are still uncertain. Anybody who has climbed a mountain understands this. You do not stand at the bottom feeling completely prepared for every metre ahead. You move. One step. Then another. And somewhere along the way, the person who once doubted whether she could do it becomes the person doing it. There is another lesson mountains teach you. Very few people reach the summit completely alone. There are people guiding. People encouraging. People noticing that you are struggling before you say anything. That is why Ubuntu has become so central to the way I understand my own journey. I am because we are. My achievements belong to me, but my journey does not belong to me alone. I was shaped by my family and the community I grew up in. I have built a business for more than two decades with people whose backgrounds are very different from mine. I have learnt from employees, clients, colleagues, friends and people who challenged me. Relationships have carried me through parts of the climb that determination alone could not. Perhaps, then, we should spend less time asking women how they managed to reach the top and more time asking what would make the climb possible for more women. Who needs somebody to open a door? Who needs development? Who needs somebody to say, “I think you are ready,” before she believes it herself? Who is halfway up the mountain and simply needs somebody to remind her not to turn around? And for those of us who have reached some of our own summits, there is another responsibility. We cannot pull the ladder up behind us. In Ubuntu 3.0, we speak about building a cathedral: doing work today that may benefit people you will never meet. I think about that often when I think about women in business. Success cannot only be measured by how high I climb. It must also be measured by whether the climb is easier for the woman coming after me. This Women’s Month, there will be many photographs of successful women. I celebrate them. But I am also thinking about the women who are still climbing. You do not have to see the whole mountain today. Sometimes all that is required is the next step. I learnt that on Kilimanjaro. But perhaps I had been learning it my entire life. Learn more about Ubuntu 3.0 and the leadership journey behind the book or get your hands on a copy today: info@globalbusiness.co.za This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific legal guidance on protected disclosures, employment practices, or compliance obligations, consult a qualified labour law practitioner. © 2026 Global Business Solutions (GBS). All rights reserved. View our upcoming events: Upcoming Events and Qualifications, like EE Code of Good Practice Pop-up, CLAUDE for Employment Relations (Session Options: Aug., Sept. OR Oct.), B-BBEE Bootcamp, Disciplinary Enquiry & Arbitration Master Class, Occupational Skills Programme: Skills Development Facilitation Practitioner (SDF), and National Certificate in Labour Relations Practice (NQF 6). *All workshops are offered as customised in-house training that can be presented virtually or on-site.

South Africa's unemployment rate rose to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026, up from 32.7%, according to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey. The number of unemployed people increased by 345,000 to 8.5 million. On the expanded definition, which includes those who have stopped actively searching, the rate now stands at 43.8%, or roughly 12 million people. These are not abstract figures. They describe an economy failing to generate enough jobs to absorb its own labour force, quarter after quarter. Why this matters to business Unemployment at this scale is not simply a social problem sitting alongside the economy, it is a structural constraint on the economy itself. A shrinking base of income-earning consumers limits demand. A large cohort of workers without formal experience limits the pipeline of skilled labour. And a widening gap between those in work and those excluded from it raises the political and social risk premium attached to doing business in South Africa. Every job created has a multiplier effect: income spent in the local economy, tax revenue collected, household balance sheets strengthened, demand for goods and services sustained. The inverse is equally true. Mass unemployment suppresses consumption, strains the fiscus through social support obligations, and — over time — erodes the social stability that investment decisions depend on. The constraints are well known None of the underlying causes are new, but their cumulative weight is now acute: Weak and inconsistent GDP growth; Declining productive capacity in key sectors, notably manufacturing and mining; Persistent electricity and logistics infrastructure constraints; Crime and corruption raising the cost of doing business; Regulatory complexity that slows investment and employment decisions; A continued mismatch between education outputs and labour-market demand; Limited enabling support for small and micro enterprises, which are the most reliable source of net job creation in most economies. The policy question business should be asking This is not an argument against fair wages or labour protections. It is an argument that job creation has not yet been treated as the primary metric against which economic policy is judged. If growth, investment climate, regulatory reform and education-to-employment pathways were all evaluated first through the lens of "does this create jobs at scale," several current policy trade-offs would look different. The real question for policymakers and business leaders alike is not whether unemployment is a serious problem — the data settles that. It is how much further deterioration is tolerable before job creation is elevated from a policy objective among many to the central organising priority of economic policy. Another five years of managing the numbers is not a strategy. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific legal guidance on protected disclosures, employment practices, or compliance obligations, consult a qualified labour law practitioner. © 2026 Global Business Solutions (GBS). All rights reserved. View our upcoming events: Upcoming Events and Qualifications, like EE Code of Good Practice Pop-up, CLAUDE for Employment Relations (Session Options: Aug., Sept. OR Oct.), B-BBEE Bootcamp, Disciplinary Enquiry & Arbitration Master Class, Occupational Skills Programme: Skills Development Facilitation Practitioner (SDF), and National Certificate in Labour Relations Practice (NQF 6). *All workshops are offered as customised in-house training that can be presented virtually or on-site.

Women’s Month is a time to honour the courage, contribution and leadership of women. BUT the real test of workplace inclusion is not what we say about equality, it is what we are prepared to change so that EVERY woman can rise. And it is the perfect opportunity to ask another question: whose talent are we still failing to see? Across South Africa, many women with disabilities continue to be underestimated – not because they lack skill, ambition or resilience, but because workplaces are still too often shaped around narrow ideas of ability. Their barriers are not always created by disability itself, but by inaccessible environments, unconscious bias and opportunities that never reach them. Yet these women bring exactly what organisations need: determination, adaptability, perspective and problem-solving skills shaped by lived experiences. They know how to navigate complexity. They know how to lead through challenge. They know how to turn obstacles into strength. Inclusion cannot be reduced to a policy, a target or a line in an Employment Equity plan. True inclusion is felt in the everyday reality of work – in who is hired, who is heard, who is developed and who is trusted to lead. This is why reasonable accommodation matters. It is not special treatment. It is not charity. It is the removal of unnecessary barriers so that talented people can contribute fully, confidently and equally. That is not just compliance. That is leadership. Businesses that embrace diverse perspectives are stronger, sharper and more innovative. When women with disabilities are included, organisations gain more than representation… they gain insight, resilience and a deeper understanding of the people and communities they serve. But recruitment alone is not enough. Opportunity must be built. It must be visible in mentorship, accessible learning, inclusive leadership and workplaces where women are not simply present but empowered to grow, influence and lead. For colleagues, inclusion starts in small but powerful ways: listening before assuming, recognising capability before limitation, and choosing respect in every interaction. This Women’s Month, let us celebrate all women who redefine resilience, excellence and leadership every day. Their individual stories remind us that talent has no boundaries, but opportunity too often does. So the question is no longer only, “Are we compliant?” The real question is, “Are we brave enough to remove the barriers?” And not just to push them to the side while the focus is on Women’s Month, but to remove them completely. Forever. When inclusion becomes culture, workplaces change. People rise. Businesses grow stronger. And South Africa moves closer to a future where every woman is recognised not for the barriers she has faced, but for the value she brings. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific legal guidance on protected disclosures, employment practices, or compliance obligations, consult a qualified labour law practitioner. © 2026 Global Business Solutions (GBS). All rights reserved. View our upcoming events: Upcoming Events and Qualifications, like EE Code of Good Practice Pop-up, CLAUDE for Employment Relations (Session Options: Aug., Sept. OR Oct.), B-BBEE Bootcamp, Disciplinary Enquiry & Arbitration Master Class, Occupational Skills Programme: Skills Development Facilitation Practitioner (SDF), and National Certificate in Labour Relations Practice (NQF 6). *All workshops are offered as customised in-house training that can be presented virtually or on-site.

Why curiosity — not competence — will decide who thrives in Industry 5.0 There's a quiet assumption sitting underneath most conversations about AI in the workplace: that the people who'll do well are the ones who are already "good with technology." The early adopters. The ones who don't need convincing. That assumption is wrong, and it's worth saying so plainly, because it lets a lot of capable HR and IR practitioners off the hook before they've even started. You don't need to be technical to adapt to Industry 5.0. You need to be curious. Those are not the same thing, and mistaking one for the other is exactly why so many good people are watching AI reshape their profession from the sidelines. Industry 5.0 isn't about the machines. That's the whole point. Industry 4.0 was a story about automation, machines doing what humans used to do, faster and cheaper. Industry 5.0 is a different story. It's about human and machine working alongside each other, with the human firmly back at the centre, not as an operator of the machine, but as the one who brings judgement, context, ethics, and relationship to work that a machine cannot do alone. That should be good news for HR and IR practitioners in particular. Our work has always lived in the messy, human, judgement-heavy space, reading a room during a disciplinary hearing, sensing when a policy will land badly before it's even rolled out, holding the line on fairness when the letter of the law and the spirit of it pull in different directions. None of that goes away. If anything, it becomes more valuable, because it's precisely what AI can't replicate. But here's the catch: that value only gets realised if we actually engage with the tools reshaping the terrain around that work. And engagement starts with curiosity, not comfort. Why curiosity beats expertise, right now Expertise is built on what already worked. Curiosity is built on asking what might work next. In a moment where the tools, the case law, and the expectations are all shifting simultaneously, expertise without curiosity calcifies fast. You can be excellent at the HR of five years ago and genuinely struggling with the HR of today, not because you've gotten worse at your job, but because the job has quietly changed shape around you. Curiosity is what closes that gap. It's the difference between: Dismissing an AI drafting tool because "it doesn't understand our context" — versus testing it, noticing exactly where it breaks down, and learning something real about what your context actually requires. Waiting for a training session on a new system — versus opening it and poking around for twenty minutes to see what it does. Assuming a chatbot can't handle a nuanced grievance conversation — versus asking what would it take for it to handle the first 80% competently, freeing you for the 20% that genuinely needs a human. None of this requires becoming a technologist. It requires being willing to not know something, on purpose, in public, for a little while — which, if we're honest, is harder for experienced practitioners than it sounds. We've built careers on having the answer. Curiosity asks us to sit in the question a bit longer. What this looks like in practice Curiosity isn't a mindset you either have or don't — it's a set of small, repeatable habits. A few worth building into your week: Ask "how would AI approach this?" before you finalise your own answer. Not to replace your judgement, to stress-test it. If you're drafting a disciplinary process, a policy, or a training outline, run your draft past an AI tool first and see what it surfaces. Sometimes it'll be irrelevant. Sometimes it'll catch an angle you hadn't considered. Either way, you've learned something in five minutes that used to cost you an hour. Pick one repetitive task this month and try to automate or accelerate it. Not the whole job, one task. A first-draft letter, a leave calculation, a summary of a long policy document. The goal isn't efficiency for its own sake; it's building a felt sense of where these tools are genuinely useful versus where they fall short. You can't know that from a webinar. You only know it from trying. Ask your discomfort what it's actually telling you. When a new tool or process makes you uneasy, don't just push through it or avoid it, get curious about the unease itself. Is it about job security? Data privacy? A genuine ethical concern about fairness or bias? These are legitimate questions, and HR/IR practitioners are often the only people in the room asking them. That's not resistance to progress, that's exactly the judgement Industry 5.0 needs at the table. Bring it, loudly, instead of quietly opting out. Read one thing outside your usual feed each week. Not another AI hype piece, something adjacent. A POPIA update, a case law development, a piece on how another industry is handling AI-driven decision-making. Cross-pollination is where the sharpest insights usually come from. Teach someone something you just learned. The fastest way to actually retain a new tool or idea is to explain it to a colleague within a week of learning it. It forces you past "I sort of get it" into "I could actually use this." The real risk isn't AI. It's standing still. Nobody is going to lose their role to AI outright. But there's a quieter risk that's easy to miss: practitioners who stay curious will keep getting better, faster, more relevant, and the gap between them and everyone else will widen, not suddenly, but steadily, month over month, until one day it's no longer closeable with a weekend course. The good news is that closing that gap doesn't require a technical degree, a big budget, or permission from anyone. It requires deciding, this week, to be a little more curious than you were last week. Your call to action Pick one thing from this article and actually do it before Friday. Not "think about it", do it. Try the AI tool. Automate the task. Read the outside-the-feed article. Ask the uncomfortable question in the meeting instead of after it. Curiosity compounds. The practitioners who'll shape what HR and IR look like in five years aren't the ones with the most credentials today, they're the ones asking the most questions right now. Start asking. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific legal guidance on protected disclosures, employment practices, or compliance obligations, consult a qualified labour law practitioner. © 2026 Global Business Solutions (GBS). All rights reserved. View our upcoming events: Upcoming Events and Qualifications, like EE Code of Good Practice Pop-up, CLAUDE for Employment Relations (Session Options: Aug., Sept. OR Oct.), B-BBEE Bootcamp, Disciplinary Enquiry & Arbitration Master Class, Occupational Skills Programme: Skills Development Facilitation Practitioner (SDF), and National Certificate in Labour Relations Practice (NQF 6). *All workshops are offered as customised in-house training that can be presented virtually or on-site.

Employers have until 4 September 2026 to shape the next national minimum wage adjustment, as the National Minimum Wage Commission formally opens its annual consultation process. Purpose of the Notice On 5 August 2026, the Department of Employment and Labour published Government Notice R. 7772 in Government Gazette No. 55135, inviting written representations on possible adjustments to the National Minimum Wage (NMW). Acting Chairperson of the NMW Commission, Mr Gavin Hartford, has called on all interested parties — employers, employer bodies, trade unions, and individual workers — to submit input ahead of the Commission's annual report and recommendations to the Minister of Employment and Labour, due later in 2026, in terms of section 6(2) of the National Minimum Wage Act 9 of 2018. This is the formal opening of the 2026 review cycle that will determine the NMW rate effective from 1 March 2027. It follows the well-established statutory rhythm under which the Commission gathers evidence and stakeholder input before recommending an adjustment, which the Minister then gazettes ahead of implementation. How to Participate Written representations: submit to the Directorate: Employment Standards, Department of Employment and Labour, Private Bag X117, Pretoria, 0001, or by email to nmwreview@labour.gov.za. Closing date: 4 September 2026. Survey questionnaire: an online NMW Survey Questionnaire is also available via the Department's website (www.labour.gov.za) and Facebook page, to supplement formal written submissions and assist the Department's analysis. Key Considerations and Metrics for Submissions Representations are generally most persuasive where they engage directly with the metrics the Commission and Minister weigh each year. Employers preparing input should consider addressing: Inflation and cost of living — CPI trends and the erosion of real wages since the last adjustment. Employment and unemployment effects — sector-specific job creation or job-loss risk, particularly in labour-intensive industries (manufacturing, agriculture, retail, hospitality, cleaning, security, and domestic work). Wage floor compression — the narrowing gap between the NMW and entry-level wages set in Bargaining Council agreements and sectoral determinations, and its effect on pay progression structures. Sectoral parity — the continued alignment of farm worker and domestic worker rates with the general NMW (achieved in 2022 and 2024 respectively), and any sector-specific relief sought. Compliance and enforcement capacity — the Department's stated intention to significantly expand its labour inspectorate, raising the practical risk profile of non-compliance. EPWP and learnership allowances — differentiated rates that may also be affected by the review. Potential Employer Impact For GBS clients, the 2026 review carries several practical implications that should be factored into 2027 budget and workforce planning cycles: Payroll cost escalation — based on the trend of the last three adjustments (8.5%, 4.4% and 5.0% respectively), employers should model a base-case NMW increase in the region of 5-6.5% for March 2027, with a higher-inflation scenario for contingency planning. Bargaining Council interaction — where sectoral or Bargaining Council minima already track the NMW, a further increase may trigger consequential adjustments across full wage scales, not only entry-level rates. Budgeting and forecasting — clients in manufacturing, cleaning, security, hospitality and retail sectors (where wage bills are NMW-anchored) should begin scenario planning now, ahead of the Commission's report later in 2026. Submission opportunity — employers with a material interest in the outcome, particularly through organised business or sector bodies, should consider using the current window (closing 4 September 2026) to place sector-specific evidence before the Commission. NMW Increases: Three-Year Trend The table below sets out the general NMW hourly rate adjustments over the past three annual review cycles, for reference in preparing representations and impact modelling. Effective Date General NMW (per hour) Increase (Rand) Increase (%) EPWP Rate (per hour) 1 March 2024 R27.58 (from R25.42) R2.16 8.5% R15.16 1 March 2025 R28.79 (from R27.58) R1.21 4.4% R15.83 1 March 2026 R30.23 (from R28.79) R1.44 5.0% R16.62 Note: farm worker and domestic worker rates reached parity with the general NMW in March 2022 and March 2024 respectively, and have moved in lockstep with the general rate since. Figures reflect gazetted increases; percentages are rounded to one decimal place. GBS Comment This notice marks the start of the formal consultation window for what will become the eighth annual NMW adjustment since the Act's commencement in 2019. Given the consistency of above-inflation increases over the past three cycles, employers should not treat this as a routine gazette notice to file away — the representations made now, and the data submitted through the accompanying survey, materially shape the recommendation the Commission ultimately tables to the Minister. GBS is available to assist clients in preparing sector-specific written representations. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific legal guidance on protected disclosures, employment practices, or compliance obligations, consult a qualified labour law practitioner. © 2026 Global Business Solutions (GBS). All rights reserved. View our upcoming events: Upcoming Events and Qualifications, like EE Code of Good Practice Pop-up, CLAUDE for Employment Relations (Session Options: Aug., Sept. OR Oct.), B-BBEE Bootcamp, Disciplinary Enquiry & Arbitration Master Class, Occupational Skills Programme: Skills Development Facilitation Practitioner (SDF), and National Certificate in Labour Relations Practice (NQF 6). *All workshops are offered as customised in-house training that can be presented virtually or on-site.