Major Solidarity breakthrough in judgment on race at Eskom
28 May 2024
Solidarity hopes a Labour Court victory on behalf of one of its members, whose application for a management position at Eskom was refused because of his skin colour, will send a strong message to the outside world.
Judge Hilary Rabkin-Naicker, in a judgment handed down in the Labour Court in Cape Town, found that Alwyn Erasmus was discriminated against when, after 30 years of employment at Eskom, he was not appointed to an essential position for which he had applied.
The directive by employment equity officials at Eskom that only “black men as well as women of any race group should be given preference” prejudiced Erasmus’ application, even though he was precisely the suitable candidate that a senior manager at Eskom wanted to appoint.
According to the senior manager, Eskom could not afford to lose Erasmus’ skills, and yet Eskom decided not to consider any white men for the role.