Court awards R100 000 to employee whose HIV status was disclosed in meeting

Members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), including Free State regional secretary, Andile Wiseman Zitho, have been ordered to pay R100 000 compensation to an employee who sued for damages relating to the disclosure of her HIV-positive status, without her permission, during a meeting.

The Free State High Court judgment ruled that disclosing an HIV-positive employee's status without their permission was public defamation and a violation of privacy.

The employee said Zitho disclosed her status during a grievance meeting against him in February 2021.