Thirty years on from end of the apartheid regime, rooting out racism within South African workplaces remains a priority for all organisations. But the ongoing case of a black HR executive sacked for making racists statements to black co-workers demonstrates the challenges facing employers.

Former Nedbank HR executive Anele Makhosazana Mpungose was dismissed in 2019 after allegedly making racially discriminatory remarks, including that “black people are lazier and more incompetent than white people”.