BusinessLive reports that newly appointed Eskom board member and Imperial CEO Mark Lamberti is adamant that he has not been found to have been racist or sexist by the North Gauteng High Court.
In an e-mail sent to Imperial staff on Thursday‚ Lamberti said his reference to experienced chartered accountant Adila Chowan as a "female employment equity" candidate was not intended to demean her. "My statement‚ intended to indicate attentiveness to the Employment Equity Act and society’s expectations of business‚ was not malicious or meant to hurt or demean her in any way, and I regret and apologise for any hardship that it caused‚" he wrote. Lamberti has, however, acknowledged that the court found that Chowan had grounds to believe she was being discriminated against by being bypassed for appointment as CFO of Associated Motor Holdings (AMH), an Imperial subsidiary, in January 2015. "She therefore was within her rights to lodge a grievance to the then chairman of Imperial‚ and she has a claim against AMH for the economic loss that resulted from her subsequent suspension and dismissal by AMH," said Lamberti. But, he insisted his "employment equity" comment had been misconstrued.
- Read this report by Karyn Maughan in full at BusinessLive
- Read too, EFF calls for head of new Eskom board member Mark Lamberti, at Fin24
- And also, Cloud over Eskom position after Lamberti apologises, at BusinessLive
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page