Renate Barnard taking up the cudgels against racial quotas on full-time basis

Trade union Solidarity today announced that Renate Barnard, a former lieutenant colonel in the SAPS, resigned from the private sector. She is going to continue her battle against racial quotas on a full-time basis, and has joined Solidarity's Centre for Fair Labour Practices.

After a nine year battle, the Constitutional Court recently ruled against her in one of South Africa's most prominent affirmative action court cases. Twice she was the best candidate for a promotional post but was not appointed because of the colour of her skin.

Solidarity also decided to press ahead to lodge an international complaint against the South African government about non-compliance with the requirements of the United Nations' International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). The trade union released a YouTube video in which Barnard lobbies support for her and the trade union's petition to the United Nations. The video had a big launch on social media.

"The Constitutional Court halted my battle against racial quotas for the time being, but I believe in what is just and fair, and will now campaign for it full-time. One of the major campaigns I'm going to tackle with Solidarity is to take the battle for fairness in the workplace to the United Nations' (UN's) Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination," Barnard said.

Solidarity is also planning several other lawsuits against the South African government. The affirmative action case Solidarity is bringing against the Department of Correctional Services on behalf of employees in the Western Cape (nine of which are coloured persons and one is white) is probably the most significant. This case is likely to also escalate to the Constitutional Court.

Solidarity will at a press conference tomorrow announce details of the complaint it is bringing against the South African government to the UN's Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

Statement issued by Dirk Hermann, Chief Executive, Solidarity, October 27 2014

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