Huawei in hot water over SA hiring habits

South Africa's Department of Employment and Labour is taking the local unit of China's Huawei Technologies to court over its labor practices.

The department confirmed via Twitter that it had filed court papers against Huawei on February 11, 2022 "due to non-compliance with employment equity policy".

"Huawei Technologies South Africa was audited in 2020 and found to be non-compliant in that they employ approximately 90% foreign nationals, which violates the #EmploymentEquity Policy (EAP)," a second department Tweet reads.

South Africa's labor rules stipulate that only 40% of employees can be foreign nationals and 60% of employees need to be South Africans.

According to Reuters the department is seeking a fine of R1.5 million (US$98,581) or 2% of the local firm's annual 2020 turnover for the alleged violation.

"Huawei has taken note of the media release by the Department of Employment and Labour. We are committed to continue engaging further with the Department on our equity plan. Huawei is committed to complying with local laws and regulations," Huawei South Africa told Connecting Africa when asked for comment on the matter.

Huawei sells a wide range of its products and services in South Africa ranging from smartphones and other devices to networking equipment and cloud computing and data storage solutions.

In the past Huawei has had a strong relationship with the South African government and has a number of private-public partnerships in the country.

*Top image source: Huawei South Africa online gallery .

— The Staff, Connecting Africa