‘Joining late': exploring the impact of the Late Joiner Penalty (LJP) imposed by South African medical aid schemes

This study explores how black women in paid employment experience the Late Joiner Penalty (LJP) that has been imposed on them by the Medical Schemes Act of 1998. Using various theories of citizenship, this research explores ways in which women are still excluded from obtaining full citizenship rights. The researcher applied a qualitative approach and conducted one-on-one in-depth interviews to generate meaningful data. The findings of the study reveal that women experience work precarity in various forms, which has been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Women are subject to periods of “waithood” with delays that may impact their economic stability and growth. In addition, strong themes of control exerted by medical aids, healthcare practitioners and male partners reinforce the ways in which women are denied full access to citizenship. Furthermore, medical aid is gendered and forces women to organise their productive lives around their reproductive obligations. The LJP revealed no risk for the scheme but appears only to endeavour to exploit those who have been historically marginalised. Moreover, the lack of knowledge of the LJP, the finer details and the long-term implications of joining a medical aid scheme for poorer working-class families are problematic and consistent with current hegemonic practices that reward citizens for fitting into the ideal mould. These findings were then discussed within the theoretical framework of citizenship using Barchiesi's (2007) Theory of Social Citizenship and Brown's (2016) Theory of Sacrificial Citizenship as analytical tools. The research demonstrates that neoliberal policies and legislation punish the poor through a form of poverty tax (LJP) and decrease the ability to generate financial and health security through medical aid scheme subscription. Additionally, the LJP undermines the constitutional promise of equal citizenship by effectively discriminating against citizens on the basis of age, gender and historical disadvantage

An analysis of the proposed amendments to the Labour Relations Act and other employment legislation

South Africa’s Labour Laws should undergo drastic changes in 2014 when new amendments take effect. The bills amend the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (LRA), Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 (BCEA) and the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 (EEA). These amendments originate from the increasing “casualisation” of work prevalent in the South African Labour market and aim to address the phenomenon of labour broking, the continuous renewal of fixed-term contracts and unfair discrimination regarding wages amongst others. The legislature effected additional amendments to these Acts to align them with new developments, to improve the functioning of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) and to fulfil South Africa’s obligation as a member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). 1 In addition, the amendments attempt to clarify the wording of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) to elucidate numerous significant judicial interpretations of various provisions of the current Act as well as to close what some believe to be loopholes in current legislation. There are differing views on the possible effects the amendments could have on the country; some believe that it will damage business while others believe it will affect job creation. 3 According to Bosch, the amendments allow employers flexibility without depriving employees of rights properly due to them. 4 The researcher emphasises topical issues such as the need for temporary employment services, entitlement to organisational rights and the abuse of fixed-term contracts and further discusses, to a lesser extent and focusing on discrimination, the Basic Conditions of Employment Act5 (BCEA) and the Employment Equity Act6 (EEA)

South End Museum: SWOP analysis

A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis for the South End Museu

Nelson Mandela Metropole - Gothenburg partnership

A report wriiten by Ernest Moodaley on the visit by the Gothensburg Stadsmuseum representatives to the Nelson Mandela Metropole from 2-12 April 2002

Report by the South End Museum trustees

Report back on the visit to Disrtict Six & Robben Island Museums by SEM Trustees and want they gained from said visit

Greenwashing, Sustainability Reporting, and Artificial Intelligence: A Systematic Literature Review

The rise of stakeholder interest globally in sustainable business practices has resulted in a rise in demands from stakeholders that companies report on the environmental and social impacts of their business activities. In certain cases, however, companies have resorted to the practice of providing inaccurate disclosures regarding sustainability as part of their corporate communications and sustainability reporting—commonly referred to as “greenwashing”. Concurrently, technological improvements in artificial intelligence have presented the means to rapidly and accurately analyze large volumes of text-based information, such as that contained in sustainability reports. Despite the possible impacts of artificial intelligence and machine learning on the fields of greenwashing and sustainability reporting, no literature to date has comprehensively and holistically addressed the interrelationship between these three important topics. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge by using bibliometric and thematic analyses to systematically analyze the interrelationship between those fields. The analysis is also used to conjecture a conceptual and thematic framework for the use of artificial intelligence with machine learning in relation to greenwashing and company sustainability reporting. This paper finds that the use of artificial intelligence in relation to greenwashing, and greenwashing within sustainability reporting, is an underexplored research field