This collaboration marks a decisive step toward unlocking Africa’s talent potential and integrating it into a rapidly changing global labour market.

Over the coming years, GCA and WEC will work together to promote WEC’s internationally recognised quality standards in recruitment and employment across the African continent. This includes working with national recruitment and staffing federations and strengthening existing industry structures to ensure fair, transparent, and future‑ready labour markets.

A cornerstone of the partnership is the integration of GCA’s talent and staffing solutions into WEC’s global network. Through this collaboration, WEC members will gain access to a growing pool of highly skilled African professionals, including remote-ready talent across technology, business, engineering, research, and emerging sectors.

Beyond talent integration, the partnership aims to elevate Africa’s presence in global future‑of‑work conversations.

GCA and WEC will jointly highlight successful African talent stories across the WEC network, creating greater awareness of Africa’s capacity for innovation, leadership, and competitiveness in global industries.

This includes collaboration with academic partners such as Curtin University and the University of Pretoria, strengthening WEC’s position as a global thought leader.

Together, GCA and WEC will engage public and private partners to support initiatives that expand African workforce development, strengthen the quality standards in recruitment and employment, and build the infrastructure needed for sustainable employment growth across the continent.

This partnership is a meaningful step toward a more inclusive, diverse, and globally connected labour market. By combining WEC’s global presence with GCA’s deep expertise in African talent, both organisations are poised to create lasting impact for employers, economies, and professionals worldwide.

The Minister of Employment and Labour Nomakhosazana Meth has published new Bills for public comment, which could bring significant changes to work hours and parental leave.

The new Bills are the Labour Laws Amendment Bill, 2025, the Labour Relations Amendment Bill,  together with the Labour Relations Amendment Bill, 2025 and related notices.

They introduce changes to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997 (BCEA), the Employment Equity Act, 1998 (EEA) and the National Minimum Wage Act, 2018 (NMWA).

The department said that the new Bills mark an essential step in strengthening protections for workers across the country, with public comment open until 28 March 2026.

“The proposed changes modernise key labour laws and introduce practical measures aimed at improving job security, promoting fairness, and extending fundamental rights to vulnerable and previously excluded categories of workers,” said the department.

“They also improve enforcement mechanisms, ensuring that employees receive the full benefits of the law.”

New section 9B of the BCEA provides protections for workers on “on-call,” zero-hours, or min-max contracts.

These employees, often in retail, security, or hospitality, are often vulnerable to irregular hours, no guaranteed income, and last-minute cancellations.

The amendments require employers to set out in writing the guaranteed hours, maximum hours, availability periods, and reasonable notice periods for reporting or cancelling shifts.

Should the employer cancel work without proper notice, the employee must be paid for those hours.

The notice period must take into account the nature of the business, the employer’s control over work availability, and the impact on the employee’s life.

Employees are also protected from being unfairly restricted from working elsewhere unless there are genuine operational reasons, including protecting confidential information.

“These measures aim to reduce exploitation, provide greater income and scheduling predictability, and ensure fair treatment compared to permanent staff,” said the department.

The increase in statutory severance pay from one week to two weeks’ remuneration per completed year of service, especially for dismissals based on operational requirements, is a benefit for employees facing retrenchment.

“Disputes solely about severance pay can now be referred directly to the CCMA or a bargaining council, simplifying access to resolution without needing to challenge the fairness of the dismissal itself.”

Big changes for parental leave

The amendments introduce a more equitable parental leave system by replacing the fragmented maternity and parental leave framework with a shared parental leave model.

Last year, the Constitutional Court ruled that parents can now split parental leave, offering both parents a combined leave of over 4 months, depending on their situation.

Under the new legislation, a single or sole employed parent is entitled to four months’ parental leave, while two employed parents share four months and ten days.

The four months and 10 days are subject to agreed arrangements or equal sharing in the absence of agreement, with priority given to the birthing mother.

The scope has also been expanded to cover the adoption of children up to six years old, which was previously limited to children under two.

The scope also now includes the commissioning parents in surrogate arrangements. The department said this offers greater gender equality, recognises diverse family structures, and provides flexibility.

The government gazette on the new potential legislation can be found below:
https://businesstech.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Labour-Law.pdf

Originally published on BusinessTech

Minister of Finance paints an optimistic picture

The National Treasury’s efforts to prioritise the repayment of South Africa’s national debt, by decreasing spending and increasing revenue, have paid off, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana told Parliament on Wednesday.

1. The budget deficit - the difference between government revenue and spending - has narrowed, and debt-service costs are also falling. But in 2026, the government will still have to spend R432.4-billion on debt repayments and interest.
2. Although the government will have to borrow money to fund the budget shortfall, the amount borrowed in 2026 will decrease to R380-billion, from R563-billion in 2025.
3. The economy is expected to grow by 1.6% in 2026 (taking inflation into account), up from an estimated 1.4% in 2025. Inflation is expected to be around 3.4% this year.
4. Thanks to higher-than-expected revenue in 2025, a plan to increase income taxes to collect an extra R20-billion has been scrapped. And for the first time since 2024, income tax brackets and rebates will be increased in line with inflation, which means people will not have to pay more tax if their salaries and wages increase by inflation.
5. But excise duties on tobacco and alcohol go up in line with inflation. This means tax on a 20-pack of cigarettes rises from R22.81 to R23.58, and tax on a 340 millilitre can of beer or cider increases by 8c.
6. Fuel levies also go up in line with inflation. For instance, the general fuel levy will go up by 9c a litre for petrol and 8c a litre for diesel.
7. People will be encouraged to save more through an increase in the annual tax-free savings account contribution limit to R46,000 from R36,000. The limit to retirement fund deductions will also be raised from R350,000 to R430,000, allowing people to invest more in their retirement, on a tax-free basis.
8. Small businesses will only be required to register for VAT when their turnover exceeds R2.3-million. Previously, the threshold was R1-million.
9. About 60% of the government’s main budget of R1.95-trillion will be spent on what the government calls the “social wage”, which includes education, healthcare, and social grants.
10. R26-billion will be allocated to the HIV/AIDS programme over the next three years, to prevent mother-to-child transmission and provide antiretroviral medicines.

The acquisition of Nissan’s manufacturing assets in Rosslyn means that, after nearly 60 years of Nissan production in South Africa, the company has now become a vehicle importer only.

Nissan’s manufacturing assets will be acquired by Chinese automaker Chery South Africa. The transaction is subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to be concluded in mid-2026.

Under the agreement, Chery will purchase the land, buildings and associated assets of the Rosslyn facility, including the nearby stamping plant.

Additionally, most of Nissan’s employees at the site will be offered employment by Chery on similar terms and conditions, a point that Nissan Africa president Jordi Vila said was central to the decision.

“Nissan has a long and proud history in South Africa and has been working to find the best solution for our people, our customers and our partners,” Vila said.

He noted that external factors had significantly affected the utilisation of the Rosslyn plant and its future viability within Nissan’s global manufacturing network.

He added that the agreement secured employment for the majority of the workforce, helps preserve opportunities for suppliers, and ensures the site continues contributing to the South African automotive sector.

While Nissan will no longer build vehicles locally, the company stressed that it is not exiting the market.

It will continue to sell and service vehicles in South Africa, with several new model launches planned for the 2026 financial year.

Speaking to the media at the Nissan GTR&Z AGM in Irene, Pretoria, Nissan Africa president Jordi Vila explained that the challenges facing Rosslyn became more noticeable after the end of NP200 bakkie production. 

Once that model was discontinued, Nissan needed a replacement to keep the plant operational and financially sustainable.

The company initially explored introducing a new locally built vehicle to replace the NP200, aimed at both the domestic market and exports to Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

Good news for the local automotive industry

However, those plans were derailed when Nissan entered a major global restructuring towards the end of 2024. 

“A number of projects were cancelled. From that point, we knew the solution we had initially planned for was no longer possible,” Vila said.

Although the plant continued to manufacture the Navara for local sale and export into Africa, volumes were insufficient to sustain the operation.

Nissan was then faced with a choice to close the plant or find an alternative that preserved jobs and industrial capacity.

Vila acknowledged that shutting down would have been the easier option from a purely financial perspective, but it was not aligned with the company’s priorities.

“Number one was people,” he said, followed by business continuity, brand and reputation, and then cash flow and profit. “We are a business, but we also have a social responsibility.”

This led to a year-long search for a partner. Several potential buyers expressed interest, but many were focused solely on the physical assets and not the workforce, which Nissan viewed as unacceptable.

Vila said Chery stood out because of its willingness to invest for the long term and to operate within South Africa’s established rules of engagement.

Industry commentator Michael Pashut, owner of CHANGECARS, described Chery’s acquisition of the Rosslyn plant as “fantastic news”.

He said Chery benefits from taking over a world-class, existing facility rather than building a new factory, while the country benefits from job preservation and renewed industrial investment.

Unlike Nissan, which was producing only one model at Rosslyn, Chery plans to manufacture multiple vehicle ranges, making the operation viable.

With Chery and its associated brands continuing to grow rapidly in South Africa, Pashut believes the Rosslyn plant could expand further, reinforcing confidence in a local automotive industry which he believes is set for continued growth.

On January 23, the Department of Labour proposed reclassifying creative performers as formal employees under the National Minimum Wage Act (NMW), thereby ensuring labour rights and job security.

The proposal, which includes performers across the advertising, artistic, and cultural sectors, seeks to reclassify creative performers as formal employees.

By transitioning performers from independent contractor status, the government aims to grant them access to essential labour rights, including regulated working hours, paid leave and severance pay.

The proposal aims to address the economic vulnerability of workers in the performance sectors who lack standard job security.

The proposal indicates that the change would include performers under the National Minimum Wage Act (NMW) and occupational injury legislation.

This means these performers will no longer be regarded as self-employed freelancers regarding basic rights; instead, they will be entitled to regular statutory protections and benefits.

The Minister of Employment and Labour for South Africa, Nomakhosazana Meth, stated that the decision to reclassify performers comes after considering the representations received from a previous proposal in 2019.

In the 2019 proposal, the Labour Minister at the time sought to classify individuals working in the film and television sector as formal employees, granting them access to rights under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.

The reclassification in 2019 aimed to provide workers with access to annual leave, sick pay, maternity leave, and protection related to the NMW.

The primary changes involved the inclusion of individuals working in the film and television industry under several acts.

These acts are the National Minimum Wage Act 9 of 2018, the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act 130 of 1993, the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997, and Section 198B(10)(a) of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995.

Similarly, the most recent proposal on 23 January 2026, seeks to include performers beyond the film and television sectors, under various acts which protect their rights.

Potential changes for performers

All individuals involved in the above-mentioned performance sectors will now be entitled to the National Minimum Wage Act, which is being updated and renewed for 2026.

The proposed changes pertain to the following Acts:

1. Basic Conditions of Employment 

Performers will be granted rights under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997. This ensures that their employers must adhere to the following regulations:  

• Working Hours and Overtime: There are strict rules regarding ordinary working hours, meal intervals, rest periods, and overtime pay.  
• Leave Entitlements: Performers have the right to annual leave, sick leave, and maternity leave.  
• Administrative Rights: Employers must provide written particulars of employment (contracts), maintain accurate records, and issue formal payslips.  
• Termination: There are protections related to notice periods for termination and eligibility for severance pay.  

2. Minimum Wage Protection

Performers will be protected under the National Minimum Wage Act, 2018, ensuring they cannot be paid below the statutory minimum threshold.  

3. Workplace Injury Coverage

Performers will be covered by the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, 1993 (COIDA). 

This means that if a performer is injured or contracts a disease while working, they are eligible for compensation.  

4. Job Security for Long-Term Contracts

Under the Labour Relations Act, 1995, specific protections apply to fixed-term contracts that extend beyond 24 months, offering greater job security for long-term engagements.

The proposal is not yet finalised, as it is currently a notice of intention.

Minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth, has invited interested individuals to submit written representations (comments or objections) regarding this proposal within 30 days of the publication date of the notice, which was 23 January 2026.

by Danielle Statham

In South Africa’s dynamic recruitment industry, the concept of “candidate ownership” is both widely misunderstood and frequently misapplied. Many agencies operate on outdated assumptions or unwritten rules, believing they can claim indefinite control over a candidate once that person registers with their agency. However, the legal and ethical landscape tells a different story, one that prioritises candidate rights and process compliance over territorial claims. While you cannot legally “own” a candidate, you can secure your right to a placement fee, if you can demonstrate that your agency was the effective cause of the hire.

Candidate ownership, as often referred to in recruitment, is not a legally recognised term in South African law. The Constitution and the Labour Relations Act are clear: individuals enjoy the right to freedom of movement and association. These rights ensure that job seekers can engage with multiple agencies, apply directly to employers, and move freely within the labour market. Agencies must therefore shift their understanding of ownership away from control and towards entitlement through action. Specifically, the focus should be on establishing a causal and documented link between the agency’s introduction of a candidate and the candidate’s eventual appointment. This link, known as “effective cause”, is what creates a right to claim a fee.

The APSO Code of Professional Practice echoes this position. It firmly states that members must not prevent candidates from seeking employment through other sources. This ethical guideline eliminates the outdated idea that an agency can prevent a candidate from being represented elsewhere simply because they have a prior relationship. Instead, it underscores the importance of transparent, professional representation grounded in informed consent and proper documentation.

Many persistent myths continue to circulate within the recruitment industry. A common one is the belief that registering a candidate first gives an agency permanent right to that candidate, or that submitting a CV automatically bars the candidate from working with competitors. In reality, candidates are always entitled to engage other agents or apply directly for roles. The only time an agency can legitimately claim a fee is when it can prove that it introduced the candidate to the client in connection with the specific position and that this introduction led to the placement. Agencies must also understand that candidates retain the freedom to accept job offers independently. What agencies can and should protect is the investment made in the recruitment process through proper terms, protocols, and paperwork.

This brings us to one of the most essential tools in any recruitment agency’s arsenal: the signed Service Level Agreement (SLA). A well-drafted SLA outlines the commercial terms of engagement between agency and client. It should define fee structures, payment terms, the scope of work, CV submission procedures, and critically, the introduction period and effective cause clauses. It’s also good practice to include rebate terms, dispute resolution processes, and confidentiality obligations. If a signed SLA isn’t in place, then at the very least, agencies must ensure that their Terms and Conditions are attached to every CV submission and that clients acknowledge receipt.

Beyond contracts, agencies must ensure that every CV submission follows a compliant and professional process. This means disclosing all relevant details of the vacancy to the candidate, including the client’s identity, the job title, salary range, working arrangements, and reporting lines, before any CV is sent out. Following disclosure, agencies must obtain written consent from the candidate to be represented for that specific role and that specific client. Blanket permissions or verbal consents are not sufficient. Every stage of this process should be documented, date and time of disclosure, method of communication, the candidate’s response, and a copy of the signed consent.

The CV itself should carry a confidentiality notice, making it clear that the information contained within is to be treated as private and may not be shared with third parties or used without the candidate’s permission. The agency’s contact details must be visible, and any approach to the candidate’s current employer or referees must only be made with the candidate’s express approval. Under no circumstances may agencies include liability clauses targeting the candidate or charge them a fee for placement services.

To enforce a fee claim with the client, agencies must be able to establish themselves as the effective cause of the placement. This involves being the first to submit the candidate to the client, following a compliant submission process as above, and triggering some form of client action, such as an interview request, direct contact with the candidate, or ongoing engagement that leads to the hire. Agencies should maintain thorough documentation, including time-stamped email records, follow-up communications, and client acknowledgments to support their claims. The more detailed the audit trail, the stronger the position in the event of a dispute.

When fee disputes arise, and direct resolution efforts have been exhausted, APSO’s Ethics Committee provides a structured avenue for escalation. To make use of this process, at least one of the parties must be an APSO member in

good standing. The agency must submit all relevant documentation, including the SLA, communications, evidence of effective cause, and a timeline of events. While this process is not a substitute for legal action in complex cases, it offers a credible, industry-based mechanism for resolving many fee-related disagreements.

Ultimately, the recruitment industry must continue evolving away from the notion of candidate ownership as control, and instead embrace a model based on transparency, consent, documentation, and professional engagement. Agencies who adopt this mindset, while ensuring that their legal and ethical foundations are strong, are not only protecting their fees, but also building trust with clients and candidates alike.

Signed terms protect your work. Compliance empowers your process. And effective cause remains your strongest claim to a rightful fee.

Successful hiring often hinges on one key element: the interview. If an interview goes well, there’s a much better chance you’ll hire the candidate. If the interview goes south . . . well, we all know how that can turn out. 

The interview process is so important that when Gem surveyed talent acquisition specialists at large companies and asked them, “What is your biggest struggle with candidates?” they didn’t say it was finding candidates, engaging them, or even getting them to accept offers. 

“No, their biggest struggle,” Teddy Chestnut, cofounder of BrightHire, told a group of talent acquisition leaders at LinkedIn’s 2023 Talent Connect conference, “was getting them through the interview process.” 

That’s why Teddy and Benjamin Sesser founded BrightHire, an interview intelligence platform, in 2019. Teddy and Ben wanted to make the hiring process better, faster, and more equitable. 

Drawing upon data gleaned from more than 350,000 interviews using BrightHire technology, they’ve learned what makes interviews work and what makes them fail. Teddy shared these insights in his engaging talk, Building a Winning Hiring Process. Here are the highlights: 

1. Nail the basics of interviewing

“First off, zero percent of hires are made without interviews,” Teddy said. “Maybe at some point your AI bot will interview my AI bot and I’ll get the job while I’m off playing golf. But for the foreseeable future, human conversations are at the heart of the hiring process.” 

LinkedIn data shows that 77% of candidates find the interview process extremely or very important in their decision to join a company. Meanwhile, 83% of candidates say that a negative interview experience could change their mind about a company or role.  

That’s why it’s vital to nail the basics of interviewing.

 For Teddy, these include: 

• Showing up for the interview on time
• Starting with an agenda
• Leaving time for questions  

According to BrightHire research, these three basics occur 50% of the time when the interviewer is a hiring manager or other person on the hiring panel and 60% of the time when it’s a recruiter. So, even for talent professionals, there’s room for improvement. 

2. Cover the most important information early in the process

For the most successful outcomes, recruiters need to cover three subjects with every candidate: compensation, motivation, and work location. “These are the core of what needs to be covered in a recruiters’ screen every single time,” Teddy said. 

BrightHire found that when recruiters discussed these three things, candidates were 33% less likely to withdraw from the process and also converted into hires at a 30% higher rate. 

“And that makes sense, right?” Teddy said. “If we cover comp and work location up front, we’re not getting surprised late in the process. And if we have a good handle on candidates’ motivations from the outset, we can sell effectively at every stage of the interview process.”

3. Be prepared to answer the questions candidates are likely to ask 

“The questions that candidates want to know about change all the time,” Teddy said. Among other things, candidates are curious about: 

• AI. Teddy noted that candidates want to know if AI will change the role for which they’re interviewing or if it will change the company’s business strategy.
•  Layoffs. “If your company has gone through layoffs,” Teddy said, “or if other companies in your industry have, this is absolutely part of the conversation your hiring team is having with candidates.” 
• Hybrid work. LinkedIn data shows that flexible work (where and when) remains a top three priority — just behind compensation and work-life balance — for members when they’re considering a new job. Candidates want to know where your company stands.

4. Be aware of biases, especially gender-related ones 

One of the most interesting — and disturbing — things BrightHire has found in its data is that candidates, depending on their gender, are often treated differently in interviews. 

That’s not exactly a newsflash, but BrightHire’s numbers are. The company tracks whether interviews start on time and has found that, overall, 73% of interviews start within two minutes of their scheduled time. But when men interview women that drops a full five percentage points to 68%.”

What’s more, the company found that when men interview women, the men talk more. “We shared this with Adam Grant, one of our advisors,” Teddy added, “and he was like, ‘Oh, they’re mansplaining.’” 

This is an issue you should take seriously. “If you want to run consistent, equitable interviews,” Teddy said, “having visibility on something like this is vital.” 

5. Skip the fifth, sixth, or 19th interview 

When the interview process goes on endlessly, it rarely benefits anyone. Teddy pointed to Google research that showed that after four interviews, the “amount of signal you get and the quality of hire basically flatlines.” 

But what about the associated costs? To find out, BrightHire looked at how much is really involved when there are 4, 8, 12, and 14 interviews per candidate. 

To hire one new employee, Teddy explained, recruiters often have to screen 20 candidates. Let’s say they pass 10 of those on to the hiring manager to screen. Of those 10, five make it to the official interviews. If each candidate has four interviews, that’s 20 interviews. When you add this up, that’s 50 interviews to make a single hire. 

But when that number jumps to eight interviews, it can take 70 interviews to hire a single employee. “Now, this isn’t rocket science,” Teddy said. “If you add more interviews, it takes more time.” And more time means more people-hours, which costs companies money. 

What’s more, BrightHire found that when your interview loops grow from four interviews to eight, your conversion rate plummets and candidates begin to drop out.

So, limit your interviews. It will not only save the company money, but it will also yield better results. 
...
Originally published LinkedIn