Solidarity heading to HRC over MNet internship

This comes after MNet earlier indicated that only Black, Coloured and Indian persons would be considered for an internship opportunity. This opportunity excludes all white persons.

M-Net CEO Yolisa Phahle said in the statement that the Magic in Motion Academy aimed to increase the pool of potential applicants for vacancies. 

"In the past whenever we had employment opportunities for this category, the pool to choose from was only limited to non-designated groups. This programme therefore enables us not to necessarily reduce the pool or exclude any potential applicant from employment as claimed, but to increase the pool that we can select from," Phahle said.

Phahle added that the law required from MNet to remove barriers to employment and, through this programme, the TV broadcaster was providing the interns with the chance of an equal opportunity to employment.  

"We appreciate and respect the concerns raised in the letter from Solidarity and have offered them the opportunity to discuss this matter in a collaborative way."

Dirk Groenewald, Head of Solidarity's Centre for Fair Labour Practices said they were not satisfied with MNet's reasoning and said that the explanation M-Net offered Solidarity was unacceptable and that the matter could not be left at that.

"We are morally obliged and legally entitled to take action. We also have a social obligation to stand up against those racist practices," Groenewald said.

According to Groenewald, the Constitutional Court already upheld the legal restrictions on the implementation of affirmative action. 

"It is totally unacceptable that M-Net supports and implements such discriminating practices. We will request the HRC to give its urgent attention to the matter and will also argue that M-Net should do away with those practices," Groenewald explained.

(File photo: Magic in Motion Academy)