By Devan Moonsamy, CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

In an interview earlier this year, Jessica Horn, director of programmes at the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) voiced concern about the type of work African women are involved in, or, rather, the type of work that is thought to be suitable for them and into which they are often drawn due to low education levels.

Jessica Horn said that economic empowerment initiatives too often teach women to make handicrafts such as cheap beaded jewellery. The same may be said for men who make wooden carvings which they try to sell on the roadside. These women and men tend to make low-priced goods and work for relatively low pay. They often also rely on seasonal work, only making sufficient income when enough tourists are around. They are thus stuck in informal and unprotected employment, or in the so-called ‘gig economy’.

The market is flooded with African curios and artworks made by the nameless or, sometimes, they may even be sold for high prices under someone else’s name. Of course, the real creators aren’t credited for their creations, and a fair income doesn’t find its way to the creators either. If artworks don’t sell, it is also the creators who end up taking the blame, and sometimes they are forced to pay for this, and even to dismantle their unappreciated artworks. This problem echoes colonial exploitation and disparities in power.

As an example, one South African has other artists paint for them and then their signature is stamped on each painting. The real artist remains nameless. In other cases, it may be, for example, rural women who are taught to bake cookies or recycle materials into artworks for sale in the cities. On the surface, there is nothing wrong with this. Teaching baking and craft-making can mean some income for a person who had no chance at education and very few employment prospects.

However, as Jessica Horn emphasises, worthwhile projects must lead to increased income generation and greater political participation. They must have large-scale potential, and they must lead to women having significant economic and political power, enabling them to advocate for their political rights and engage on various platforms. Women must be able to grow their income over time, not remaining stagnant and stuck on low-wage work which benefits others more than it does themselves.

Kabelo Malatsie, director of Visual Arts Network of South Africa, fights for artists’ rights and is working to end the exploitation of struggling artists. She says that exploitation is rife and, in the fine art world, that there may be a mere 15 ‘good’ galleries in the whole country.

Among the concerns of activists like Horn and Malatsie are that artists need to be creative, working very hard to be original, have good administrative skills, and time to dedicate to both, as well as a support structure, and funding to get their artworks in the public eye. They also need to be adept in the use of social media, have good interpersonal skills, networks and confidence. Many artists can’t manage all this, they lose hope, and end up leaving the industry altogether, especially if they are tired of being invisible. Partners, commissioners, and employers of artists who do have certain other skills and funding end up taking all the credit for the artists’ work.

Jessica Horn of AWDF thus wants to change the traditional development model which is intended to promote women’s equality and empowerment. She explains: ‘Nobody likes being oppressed, but sometimes resisting carries too much loss, stigma, so a lot of people fear that.’ On the other hand, those who need to be resisted are more confident and have no qualms about using others. She thus concludes that ‘it’s about being able to meet that attitude.’ This requires completely different skills to those traditionally taught to women. Rather than teaching handicrafts (alone), women need confidence-building, administrative and business skills, entrepreneurial skills, job skills to help secure employment, and social media, communication and technology use skills. Training may need to begin with literacy and numeracy in some cases as well.

Devan Moonsamy is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, available from the ICHAF Training Institute.

The book tackles contemporary issues in the South African workplace, including a variety of diversity-related challenges and how these can be overcome. It is an excellent guide for managers to harnessing diversity for success.
ICHAF offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: ichaftraining.co.za

By Devan Moonsamy CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

The first term of school this year has not gotten off to the best start for some children and their parents. At Laerskool Schweizer-Reneke in North West Province, a teacher has been suspended over racial segregation of children in a class. A photo was sent to parents by WhatsApp by the teacher which clearly shows a large group of white children seated together, and a few black children separated from the group at another desk. That’s a red flag, and a political protest was held outside the school.

But is this what people so quickly assume it to be? A number of explanations have surfaced. Firstly, this is simply the work of a racist teacher showing preference to the white children. Schweizer-Reneke is a town said to have deep racial divisions, and some say the teacher was even doing the right thing because of these tensions and because integration takes time.

Secondly, that the black children were new at the school and could not speak Afrikaans or English. Why this was in fact necessary was not made clear by the school. One reason could be that the children required a different teaching intervention which the teacher planned to give them in a small group setting. Separating learners according to needs in this way is a common practice and seems to make sense.

However, it is strange that the children who are said to need special attention are placed at the back of the class in the corner. Was it necessary to make them feel even more excluded in this way? It just doesn’t add up. MEC Sello Lehari who went in to address the situation has rejected this excuse and is investigating further.

Thirdly, it has been said that the children were allowed to sit where they wanted, and so the seating arrangements were their choice. This last reason is somewhat plausible because we do all tend towards ‘birds of a feather’ habits, and perhaps more so for young children in such a setting. But it would still seem unlikely that the children end up in the particular arrangement shown in the picture on their own. Does it not seem too well organised for these small children aged between four and six?

On social media, people were angered, and said it is unacceptable, while others say it is a ‘fake racial event’. Another teacher is to take the suspended teacher’s place, but some parents have already removed their children from the school.

Making an analysis this soon is difficult. More information is needed. However, I propose that it is the duty of the teacher in question and the school to make a formal apology at the very least for an insensitive way of arranging the children in the class. The teacher ought not to have placed the black children away from the others and at the back, especially if they needed more attention due to a language barrier.

Whether intentionally racist or not, it is highly offensive, and it is what we are supposed to be working very hard to prevent. Education has long been a site of racial contention, and we need to tread carefully. People of colour already feel marginalised in many settings. There is no need to throw that in their faces, and in such a personal way.

People are also naturally very protective of their own and other people’s children, and rightly so. It is not unfair to take to social media seeking public attention and comment on this photo. We need to debate this and ensure that children across South Africa are not subject to segregation or favouritism for any reason.

Let this be a warning to all teachers, educators, schools, colleagues, universities, trainers, etc. – we must be sensitised on these issues of racism in education.

Devan Moonsamy is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, available from the ICHAF Training Institute.
The book tackles contemporary issues in the South African workplace, including a variety of diversity-related challenges and how these can be overcome. It is an excellent guide for managers to harnessing diversity for success.
ICHAF offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.
Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: ichaftraining.co.za

By Devan Moonsamy CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

Will it work or will we be worse off?

The financial exclusion is a global problem with over 1 billion having no access to formal financial systems. But what does ‘formal financial system exclusion’ mean exactly? If people are choosing to hide their money under the mattress rather than bank it, it is perhaps understandable. Many governments have used socialist arguments to seize control of banks. This never goes well, and people lose their savings and investments. The banks are then very poorly run, bank staff are laid off or don’t get paid, and the institution ends up closing, at least to public access.

This is likely the way forward for South Africa in the long term since the government has taken serious steps to end private ownership of land. Recent developments may seem like a benign concession intended to help the poor, but history has shown over the past 200 and more years that these government policies always leave the poor in a worse off position. Government officials’ greed knows no bounds in such situations. Access to citizens’ banking system is a massive risk, and it is inevitably next on the agenda once land expropriation has been perpetrated.

The people of Russia and other Slavic nations, and many African nations struggle to this day because of these exact types of policies. Recently, Venezuela has tried to warn South Africans not to proceed with land expropriation because it leads to economic hardships, but politicians are about to get access to our land, and there seems to be nothing we can do to stop them. If they can change our Constitution once in this way, we can expect that politicians with divisive agendas will continue to do so, and we are on a road to losing more of our hard-won rights.

International community has tried to warn us but politicians are deaf

In 2009, Venezuela began what South Africa is doing now, land grabs, but Venezuela’s situation only got worse and in a very short time. One problem Venezuela had at the outset was that it imported food rather than producing enough. It was believed that by getting land into government hands, it could then be given to the poor who would then grow more food. This sounds good in theory, but in practice, it is disastrous for many reasons.

Venezuela soon began buying even more food into the country than before. This sounds a lot like what has happened in Zimbabwe. Those with knowledge of history and foresight are worried about what is about to happen in South Africa. Experts even now feel that Venezuela is too far gone and a ‘lost cause’. Its poor are starving, and its labour skills have been drained as thousands have immigrated.

Among the reasons why Venezuela failed in this endeavour was poor planning and decision-making. Farming is a complex, labour-intensive, and often highly specialised affair. If you have ever lived on a farm you will know this. It’s not a matter of sending cows off to graze in a meadow and milk flows abundantly, or of throwing seeds on the ground and returning a few months later to reap piles of food. Profitable or sustainable farming requires day and night vigilance, careful planning, intensive monitoring, and quick action at times to save cattle and crops. It often requires enormous investment which will not see a return for years, sometimes even decades, or it develops into very unfortunate and painful losses despite best efforts put in.

But the idea people have is that land access is a quick fix. Land somehow equates to wealth. This is not true. So much depends on what land and how it is cared for. Some land is not being used because it is unsuitable for farming, and thus people incorrectly think it is going to waste. Some is protected for wildlife – which we need far more than we think (for example, where do bees come from to pollinate our crops?).

Being given land, even with buildings on it, can even become a major burden. South Africa needs to do much more than simply give away land. We must very carefully prepare, select, train, and equip the right people to farm. Otherwise it will be disastrous. Not everyone is suited to the demands of farming or similar endeavours. We have a large urban population (65%) who is not actually keen on making a living that way.

Farming can certainly bring prosperity, but for some, it feels like a curse. In the UK, for example, some people have inherited large estates which have been in the family for generations, but it becomes a massive burden. They cannot sustain it, so they abandon it. Likewise, in many cases where people have won lavish homes, they cannot pay the electricity, water and taxes on the house and it also becomes a greater burden than their previous situation. Why not just sell it then? It’s not so simple. There isn’t always a market for it, and some laws bind a family to a property. Moving to a farm also makes great demands on individual families, sometimes ending in divorce as well as child labour.

This is not to say that poor people shouldn’t be helped, including with land ownership. But we must be smart about it and ensure it is not a sunken investment which leaves South Africans worse off. Start-up funding and skills are just as important, probably more so, than land ownership. It is more important that people be trained and that any endeavour be meticulously planned with the help of experts. Will this happen?

Corruption will strangle hopes of land ‘reform’

Corruption also happened in the case of Venezuela by favouring candidates for land ownership who were politically aligned and had some sway over voters. This only perpetuates the exclusion of the poor and is likely to happen in South Africa too.

Venezuela was once the wealthiest nation on the South American continent. South Africa is also the wealthiest and most advanced nation in Africa. But this may not last. Land expropriation has greater negative consequences than we people want to believe. Venezuelans soon found themselves queuing for six hours a day to get food.

In the coming years, we could slip down to being one of the poorest nations in Africa, importing food at high prices, with unbearable inflation. The poor just surviving on handouts from richer nations, and a massive brain drain the like of which we have never seen before, leaving us bereft of enough people who can try to clean up the mess. This does, however, leave some politicians in a very powerful and comfy position. A poor, hungry nation depending on food rations and without skills is easily controlled. This is a long-term political strategy which has worked very well for governments in the past. This all may sound quite foreign to some. Not in South Africa, that won’t happen…

A colleague of mine out-sourced some work to a man from Kenya a while ago. When it came time to pay him, he sent an urgent email asking not to be paid yet. The bank he was with had just been seized by the government, supposedly for ‘national interests’. He could not access his account and the branches were closed. His savings were out of reach including the money he put away for his children’s school fees. What could he do? The money was paid into a friend’s bank account and immediately withdrawn. A relatively small amount to try keep the family going until the next job came along.

If we think we as South Africans are somehow above such things, we are far too overconfident or naïve. What is perhaps most sad about this situation is that no independent banks means that we cannot conduct international trade. Online businesses will not be able to operate in such an environment. EFT payments are impossible, let alone forex trade, and what will we revert to? Cash and cheques perhaps, or some say cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, which are not particularly safe options. The Internet has been opening up many opportunities for the unemployed youth, and we are giving those away before they really have a chance to establish themselves.

Devan Moonsamy, is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute, a Seta-approved training and development company. ICHAF offers NQF levels training in business, computer skills training, and soft skills development, among other programmes.
Devan specialises in conflict management and diversity management, and he regularly conducts seminars for corporates on these issues. He recently authored a book on handling diversity in the South African workplace, including managing disabilities on the job.
His book Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us is available from the ICHAF Training Institute.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: ichaftraining.co.za

By Devan Moonsamy CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

LGBTQI people face exclusion and discrimination in the workplace. People who are less advantaged socioeconomically are most at risk of poor treatment and marginalisation, and a different sexual and/or gender orientation to the majority exacerbates this.

At the level of individual companies in South Africa, there is insufficient, if any, formal and specialised workplace support for LGBTQI people. Informally, some co-workers and employers do provide support and show acceptance in the workplace and don’t show favouritism according to sexual orientation and gender. However, overall, there is little effective support, and it is too easy for a recruiter or employer to simply ignore certain candidates who apply for work or promotion on the basis of demographic factors.

There are at least two organisations making headway, however. The Shambhala Organisation promotes and supports LGBT business leaders specifically. Shambhala invests in LGBT owned and managed high-potential businesses. These investments are combined with mentorship and support towards meeting business objectives.

We need dedicated business chambers for and active in the LGBTQI community. We need several focusing on each group because the issues faced by the various members in the community are not the same. Transgender people face a different fight in the workplace compared to people who are homo- or bisexual, for example.

Nevertheless, it is great news that Africa’s first business network for LGBTI+ people was launched in 2016. The network has offices in Johannesburg and is called PLUS the LGBTI+ Business Network. It is an ‘African trust that advances equality and freedom in southern Africa, with a particular focus on sexual orientation and gender identity.’ PLUS champions, promotes, supports and empowers South African LGBTI+ business owners and entrepreneurs with opportunities for learning, networking and conducting business for prosperity. PLUS aims to redress structural and economic injustices of the past. ‘PLUS intends to address scarce employment opportunities, and discrimination in the workplace of LGBTI people in South Africa, which are harmful to their wellbeing.’

We are a long way from providing sufficient support and effective legal and other forms of protection for the whole queer community in South Africa in and outside the workplace. People most at risk in the LGBTQI community are among groups struggling financially. A focus on business owners and entrepreneurs is too narrow. The possibility of pitching a winning business idea to an investor may feel out of reach for many. It is thus critical that LGBTQI people be supported at all levels. Entrepreneurship is great, but many people have a pressing need for a stable job and an opportunity to learn and grow in that space.

One organisation which is championing the rights of LGBTQI people in all contexts is the South African Human Rights Commission. In any case of discrimination, which thus equates to an infringement on human rights, the Commission can be contacted for assistance and advice on how to take the matter further.

The Commission takes its directive from our Constitution and Bill of Rights and has displayed commitment to achieving justice for LGBTQI people as far as taking matters to court. For example, this year, the Commission ensured that a South Africa pastor was brought to book for hate speech against gay people, and it made a strong argument that one cannot rely on religious views as a defence for such discrimination.

The recent book Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us delves into the issues described above and offers practical solutions to problems surrounding sexuality diversity, as well as other diversity issues which can hamper organisational progress and cause deep hurt to individuals if not handled with care.

The book looks at overcoming instant separation magnets (ISMs) in the South African context, and how to manage diversity so that everybody wins. The aspects of diversity are considered in detail with real examples and practical information on dealing with and preventing diversity-related problems.

Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us helps readers bring about transformation in their everyday dealings and in their organisations. It is useful for managers, HR departments, corporate trainers, strategists, students, and anyone facing situations of diversity which require strategic and prudent interventions. It helps in inspiring positive change, changing mindsets, and transforming the status quo for the better of all.

Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us (ISBN: 978-0-620-80807-1) by Devan Moonsamy is available from the ICHAF Training Institute or from Amazon.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: ichaftraining.co.za

By Devan Moonsamy CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

Conscientise is a somewhat new (1960s) and tricky-to-pronounce term, but the concept is a wonderful ally in the diversity process. Some pronounce the word as con-chi-en-chise; others say con-chen-tize. The latter seems to be the most common in South Africa and is the simplest. Never mind how you say it, though, so long as you get busy with it. A basic definition is that it is to make yourself and others aware of important social and political issues.

Conscientising is ensuring everyone knows their rights and responsibilities, but it also includes those nuances and subtle understandings that are more difficult to put into a list of dos and don’ts. To illustrate what it means to be conscientised in the workplace, think of someone coming in late to work. How a manager approaches the problem should differ based on their (conscientised) understanding of the employee and their circumstances. For those who have no choice but to use public transport to get to work, particularly unreliable forms of transport, and especially on a day when there has been a strike, the response should be one of understanding and sympathy for the stress they are likely feeling. What about employees with very young children? How do they warrant special consideration at times?

A conscientisied person is aware of these types of factors and their gravity, and will generally be better equipped to handle diversity and a variety of problems. In the workplace, conscientising is part of education, training and development. It is specifically identified as a precursor to the action of challenging inequalities in treatment and opportunities. People must know the power they have to do good and correct wrongs before they can achieve the ideals of equality and a non-racist society.

Combating racism is thus about conscientising ourselves and others. Notions of race-based inferiority are combated by means of attitude adjustments, something we as individuals are responsible for. It can certainly go a long way if we strive to educate those around us in a respectful manner or sometimes speaking in more firm terms if we are faced with deep-rooted racism which is causing harm to others.

By cleansing and greatly improving our attitudes about race we will have a healthier mindset, more authentic relationships, and thus greater chances of success in our relationships in and outside the workplace.

South Africa has a very painful past, and our wounds are not going to heal quickly. Many bridges between our diverse people need to be built and maintained. We can heal as individuals and as diverse groups of people working towards common goals. Conscientising is one very powerful way to do so.

The above is adapted from Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us by Devan Moonsamy, available from the ICHAF Training Institute and all leading books stores.
The book tackles contemporary issues in the South African workplace. It is an excellent guide for managers to harnessing diversity for success and overcoming diversity-related challenges.
Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan, please use the contact details below.
Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: ichaftraining.co.za

By Devan Moonsamy CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

There has been a lot of buzz about the ‘future of work’ recently. There is major concern over who will become redundant and how this will happen – and rightly so. Wits recently conducted a review of research on the topic and found that most authors studying the issues are in fact negative or at least quite concerned about the impact of technology on employment prospects and society in general.

People do benefit from various technologies. We have all experienced how they make our lives better in certain ways, for example, in healthcare. However, redundancy remains a major fear associated with the increased use of technology in the workplace.

In Australia and the UK, for example, checkout staff at grocers and other major retailers have almost disappeared. Instead, checkouts at stores like Target (which is much like our Edgars) and Woolworths in Australia (similar to our shop of the same name, but a different company) are self-service. Petrol pumps are also self-service. If South Africa follows suit, this spells doom for many, many workers in these industries, and the majority of them are black and those most in need of employment opportunities.

The Edcon group (which includes Edgars, CNA and Jet, among others) has about 39 000 employees, while the Shoprite group (Checkers, House and Home and others) has 147 000 employees, some of whom are in other African countries. We naturally feel afraid of the prospect of any of these people losing their jobs. We need many, many more jobs in South Africa. Fewer jobs is not a viable solution to our economic challenges, and so certain technologies can do more harm than good.

If major retailers and petrol companies decide to go the automated checkout route in South Africa, we will likely have massive protests and even boycotts. We could expect that workers themselves – as well as customers – will not take well to such a development. It is thus not surprising that retailers seem not to have made any moves towards checkout automation in South Africa.

However, we cannot help but feel that it is only a matter of time before automation takes over all kinds of jobs. Eventually, people will be laid off or, hopefully, moved into other jobs. But what jobs? And will there be enough of them? These issues need sustainable solutions.

It is easy for us to feel hopeless and apathetic in the face of such realities, but we must strive to stay focused on devising and implementing solutions which work in the South African and African context. Perhaps we might choose to resist automation in Africa in certain ways for the foreseeable future. This is not because we intend to stay behind the rest of the world. Rather we are striving to remain at the forefront in terms of social welfare and human rights. Africans have a unique situation and technology must, therefore, play a somewhat different role in our lives. We use it, but we must not let it replace us.

A key way to achieve this is for us to learn how to use new technology in our jobs. Some researchers hold that many workers need not actually be replaced by technology. Instead, they will be using it more, and so workers need to adapt. Africans must, of course, develop skills which allow them to take up new technologies in their jobs in a way that advantages them. This may start with computer literacy but goes far beyond that into using sophisticated modelling systems, coding, and physical human-machine combinations.

This may still make us feel a bit uneasy. What if this still means fewer jobs with those available reserved for the educated and skilled upper and middle classes? This is why training at all levels is critical so that workers have greater workplace readiness. To increase the number of jobs, we might want to consider a shorter working week, as has been done in the Netherlands. We could have more employees per job or company, but they each work fewer hours. With machines helping them to be more productive, this may be a viable option. Nevertheless, workers must still each be earning a living wage, even if they are working fewer hours.

The situation is highly complicated. We may contend that the creation of new and more jobs is one of the greatest challenges humanity has ever faced. Resisting automation in the short to medium term can be wise, but a poor decision in the long term. Continued skills training of workers remains the best way to prepare them for job and industry changes in future. It is the most effective way to safeguard against unemployment and redundancy. Training and development must thus be prioritised if companies and workers are to thrive in an increasingly automated and technology-reliant context.

Devan Moonsamy is author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us with Bronwyn J King, available from the ICHAF Training Institute.

The book tackles contemporary issues in the South African workplace, including a variety of diversity-related challenges and how these can be overcome. It is an excellent guide for managers to harnessing diversity for success.

Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: ichaftraining.co.za

By Devan Moonsamy CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

I’m proud to be the owner and CEO of the I Can Help Africa Foundation (ICHAF). We’ve been in the training business for over a decade, and I can look back on many challenges surmounted and successes achieved over the years. I always try to stay in touch with what our students and clients are saying and relate it to what I am doing.

I pause to consider: Are ICHAF programmes making a difference and how big is that difference? Is it workplace-related or does it also lead to personal growth and the forging of good relationships in the context of diversity? Diversity is of critical concern to South African organisations. I wonder if even our entry-level qualifications make a difference in terms of diversity. Do ICHAF students feel their learning experiences are not only relevant to their jobs, but also offer some guidance on getting along with people who are different?

Recently having co-authored a book about diversity and conducting diversity seminars as well as serving as a mediator in diversity-related conflict situations, diversity is constantly on my mind. I also recently had the opportunity to speak about immigration issues in the workplace – another important diversity variable in South Africa – on the etv Morning Show.

So what have ICHAF students to say about the effect of our learning programmes on them? I was particularly interested in our entry-level programme, the NQF1 Business Practices course, which is a great way to get staff training started for just about any staff member. It is a year-long course, and there is a lot of focus therein on business skills like finance, computer use, customer care, etc. It is all very well having these skills, but if people can’t get along, we will never truly realise our goals, feel true fulfillment in our work, and make a difference in other people’s lives.

I had to know what our students are saying and two of the responses received were:
I know the do’s and do not’s when it comes to customers. The accounting and information about personal finances is helpful. I also find that I’m communicating better and more often with people at work and customers. I have more confidence in that. I’m playing around with ideas for new businesses since learning about business planning. Actually, it’s not exactly a business idea. I’ve long wanted to start a non-profit organisation to help people in my community. It seems like an ever-more possible thing I can do… I want to get older people together with unemployed people, especially youths, to share their skills and help them learn and thus get jobs – Leonard, Cape Town.

Working with different people allowed me to approach different situations in a different manner. It allowed me to help others, but at the same time, I learnt from others. I enjoyed being in a diverse learning environment because it showed me how to receive and give knowledge to help others and myself – Kasevan, Johannesburg.

It’s fascinating how our own learning often prompts us to teach others. It deepens our desire to share what we know, and it helps us see that the learner can become the teacher. Through this entry-level programme, we are seeing budding social entrepreneurs interested in NPO and charity work. Our learners are looking for ways to apply their skills for the benefit of their community. There is always the concern over high unemployment, and programmes such as those run by ICHAF can address that and have a compounding effect whereby learners become leaders who create jobs.

It was beneficial indeed. I got to understand how a business operates including all the dynamics thereof. Working with people in general is never easy. People are different in many ways, character, beliefs, opinion, etc. As for conflict, one has to listen and find a possible solution to resolve the situation at hand. It is important to show tolerance, respect, and kindness and treat people with humanity. I have the pleasure to be in the presence of different cultures and my character defines who I am! – Adlie, Western Cape.

I know now it’s important to treat people with HIV/AIDS and different sexualities in a fair way, to treat them with equality. I know I need to be professional at work no matter a person’s background or characteristics. I also realise the importance of knowing one’s HIV status, and that ARVs have come a long way, and now HIV is not a death sentence. I also understand what it is about people who are gay. Although I don’t agree with it personally, I would not let anyone hurt someone simply for that. It is against our Constitution and many policies – Cynthia, Cape Town.

These two learners hit on some very important diversity topics: cultural differences and conflict resolution, HIV/AIDS, sexuality and the law. It is really encouraging to see how ICHAF’s entry-level programme has got learners thinking about these big issues and even reconsidering their own beliefs, finding better ways to get along, and displaying an awareness of policies and legislation that affect their lives.

Many South Africans have a poor understanding of the policies and laws we have for a variety of issues, but our training is helping to change that. It will be important for us to see in future what other policies and legislation we can teach our students about to make their lives and their performance at work better.
Making life easier in the workplace and in society for the LGBTQI community, and for those affected by HIV/AIDS are also a reality through this type of training. The desire to get along and cooperate is there – we just need to start the conversation and teach the skills. Trainers must speak about what people don’t usually discuss about in the workplace. It often takes an outsider, like a trainer or motivational speaker, to break open these tough subjects and get us to confront them. Being able to talk about something makes it more manageable, and we can even be more objective about it.

This small amount of evidence I collected from only four learners from one of our programmes tells me a lot about the learning spaces ICHAF is creating. Our learning spaces give students many opportunities to tackle big diversity issues. Skills building is always a core part of the programmes, but I’m so pleased that our learners are taking away so much more: hope for a better, increasingly diverse South Africa.

Devan Moonsamy is author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us with Bronwyn J King, available from the ICHAF Training Institute.

The book tackles contemporary issues in the South African workplace, including a variety of diversity-related challenges and how these can be overcome. It is an excellent guide for managers to harnessing diversity for success.

Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan, please use the contact details below.
Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: ichaftraining.co.za

Devan Moonsamy CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute Immigration is usually not about wanting to travel, but a dire necessity when conditions in one’s own country are so unstable and hazardous that the only other option is to become a second-class, unwelcome, even illegal resident in another country. If it is safer to do this, think how bad it must be back home for migrant people coming into South Africa.

It has come to light that certain fast-food restaurants based in South Africa are taking advantage of that desperation. The working week is usually about 40 hours, including lunch breaks. Employees at certain fast-food restaurants are working an exhausting 80-hour week, some as high as 87 hours a week. Seven days a week they work double shifts, not being relieved from duty at any time while the restaurant is open from morning to evening.

They also receive no help whatsoever with transport. Leaving work after 10:00 at night, they may get home close to midnight, after taking more than one taxi. Considering that the majority of these chain restaurant workers are women, this is hardly safe. What opportunity do they have to spend time with their families, to get enough sleep?

And the pay? A meagre R18 an hour; no tips allowed. Migrant workers in other industries are receiving even less at R10 an hour. The average salary in Johannesburg is about R33 000 per month, for Cape Town it is almost R29 000, and in Durban and Bloemfontein it is about R23 000. This means that the average hourly rate is about R140 to R200. While migrant workers at fast-food outlets may earn a salary, and many unemployed people would be grateful for that, the labour conditions are exploitative and certainly do not justify the salary, especially one so much lower than the average.

In some restaurants, employees are even expected to pay for branded uniforms, and even special safety shoes which cost about R300 and more, costing workers at least 16 hours of their wages. Wages are also deducted if the employee is late, regardless of the reason.

Some of the workers are living in SA illegally, but rather than seeing it as a problem to be addressed, the franchises see it as an opportunity for exploitation. Furthermore, by accepting employees with no visa, they encourage the influx of illegal migrants.

Among the most serious forms of worker abuse in these restaurants is discrimination against women who fall pregnant. Because the workers are viewed as disposable, pregnant women are simply laid off. Labour laws are not implemented to protect immigrants, especially women who lose support for their visas when they fall pregnant.

Some women who are pregnant are refused assistance by their employer, even to renew an asylum status visa. They are forced to go back with a baby to care for and little prospect of making a living. This also splits families up.

The treatment of these workers calls for a boycott of the guilty companies. However, this may make the situation worse because workers may be granted shorter hours but the hourly rate remain unchanged, resulting in a loss of income. Some may also be laid off.

Where do we turn for answers to these problems? Franchises and restaurants aren’t all bad, and there are lessons to be learnt from some of them. Nandos has been identified as among those with better labour practices. Apparently, they make use of a careful screening process in recruitment, and representatives from the headquarters regularly hold meetings with franchises about the working conditions of employees and their salaries.

It is also said that some franchises send undercover workers to monitor what is really happening. Such practices must be implemented in more fast-food franchises to protect migrant people in South Africa.

Devan Moonsamy is author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, available from the ICHAF Training Institute.

The book tackles contemporary issues in the South African workplace, including xenophobia and issues related to migrant workers. It is an excellent guide for managers to harnessing diversity for success and overcoming diversity-related challenges. 

Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan, please use the contact details below.
Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: ichaftraining.co.za

By Devan Moonsamy, CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

Resilience is our capacity to recover from difficulties, our ability to bounce back from the problems we face. Psychologists are encouraging adults to foster resilience in children, as well as in themselves. It is highly applicable to persons with disabilities (PWDs) and to everyone in the workplace. If we have an attitude characterised by resilience, we will find it easier to cope with challenges, and not to succumb, but to surmount them. Adversity, trauma and tragedy affect us all from time to time, and we are also faced with stress on an ongoing or intermittent basis.

To illustrate how resilience is fostered, we can imagine the journeys we make through life. When we set out as young people, as a person in a new situation, or a PWD in the workplace, we need certain things for our journey. We need food and water (resources), and also a map (information), and a way to communicate with others (support). We need these things from the outset, and they need to be enough to keep us going on the right path over the long term. It is up to us to keep going on a daily basis, and not to become distracted or idle. But, if we are lacking in one or more of the three things mentioned above, we will struggle, lose stamina, and get lost. In such a case, we can fall down, not be able to get up, and then emergency and costly interventions are needed to save us.

So, while resilience is something that is built up by us inside ourselves, we still need assistance to get going and remain secure. Resilience is acquired through meeting adversity, but no one should be left entirely on their own. We should not wait for the person to be on their last before assisting. Our attitude should be one of ongoing supportiveness and encouragement. Otherwise, the results will be damaging.

People with resilience have what is termed an ‘internal locus of control’, which is a strong belief that they determine their fate, and not their circumstances. How they react to situations and what they achieve is up to them. They also often have one or more people in their lives who serve as mentors and good examples to them. This may be a parent, but not always. Some people with exceptional resilience come from difficult home circumstances, and they find mentors elsewhere, such as in the education space, their social environment, religious organisation, or in the workplace. Good resilience is also seen in the attitude that problems are a chance to learn, and not allowing them to control us.

However, in the face of great pressure, the resilience we have worked so hard to build up can fail us. A person with good coping skills may be overwhelmed by long-term stressors or a series of major losses. We all know that everything can tend to go well for a while, and then for some reason it all falls apart at once. For PWDs, this can certainly be the case as their health or other circumstances may take a turn for the worse. They may have been performing well in the workplace, but some employers are less understanding when they can’t anymore, which adds to their stress. Stress, in turn, further negatively affects their health and exasperates the situation. Then, family and friends may let them down, and their financial situation becomes constrained by high medical costs and/or a loss of income.

People in such situations thus really need understanding and help, and it is our duty to assist them in the workplace. It is unacceptable – and against the law – to exclude PWDs. It is wrong to add to their stress unnecessarily with unkind comments or behaviour. We must endeavour to help others build resilience or at least not break down what resilience they do have.

The struggle of those with disabilities, and of all humankind, is also against society’s oppressive, archaic ways of doing things, the ways in which it views and treats anything that is subject to it, and the ways in which it is acted out or resisted by individuals. As individuals we can seek either a brighter, more inclusive world for all, or try to maintain an existing but defunct system – it’s our choice.

The above is an extract from Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us by Devan Moonsamy, available from the ICHAF Training Institute and all leading books stores.

The book tackles contemporary issues in the South African workplace. It is an excellent guide for managers to harnessing diversity for success and overcoming diversity-related challenges.

Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | Website: ichaftraining.co.za

South African author and diversity training guru, Devan Moonsamy, CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute has just launched his new book - Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us. “This book looks at overcoming the ISMs, (Instant Separation Magnets), in the South African context, and how to manage diversity so that everybody succeeds,” explains Devan. “The aspects of diversity are considered in detail with real examples and practical information on dealing with and preventing diversity-related problems.”

Here is a look at two scenarios from the book:
Imagine you are on the beach for a wedding. It’s so beautiful, and you feel like it’s a privilege just to be there. Suddenly, everyone goes quiet, and you turn to look behind you. The bride has arrived. In front of her walks a man playing the bagpipes. ‘The bagpipes?’ you think, ‘He must be at the wrong wedding!’ Both bride and groom are black.

In fact, he’s at the right wedding. The groom is descended from a Scottish man who adopted the Zulu culture and became a chief. He fathered many children with his Zulu wives almost 150 years ago. His offspring still embrace and merge aspects of the Scottish and Zulu cultures. It is certainly a proud and vibrant heritage to have. This is but one example of how pluralistic South Africans are.

Poverty is no cause to stay away from the market. Residents bring food and other supplies to be distributed to the needy. It’s no shame to come to the collection for help. Everyone understands that people fall on hard times. Over time, however, there have been noticeably fewer women, youths, people with disabilities and non-South Africans among those in need of charity. Better education, employment opportunities and fair wages mean a single mother can adequately care for her family on her own, and more youths have decent jobs. Xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, classism – these problems have become increasingly unfamiliar to the residents.

Integration in a context of such diversity does seem like a strange dream to many of us. But isn’t it beautiful? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have?
Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us helps readers bring about transformation in their everyday dealings and in their organisations. It is useful for managers, HR departments, corporate trainers, strategists, students, and anyone facing situations of diversity which require strategic and prudent interventions. It helps in inspiring positive change, changing mind-sets, and transforming the status quo for the better of all

Help others enjoy more fruitful relationships with their peers by breaking free of classism, sexism, ageism, body shaming, etc., Learn how to manage prejudice and racism in your daily life.

Available at all leading bookstores!

Buy the online version on Kindle https://www.amazon.com/Racism-Classism-Sexism-Other-Divide-ebook/dp/B07H2H2S27 or order hard copies online from devan-moonsamy.com
For corporate orders, please use the contact details below.
Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.