Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa has withdrawn a job advertisement for an intern position which stipulated that only “employment equity” candidates could apply.
- Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa has withdrawn a job advertisement for an intern position which stipulated that only “employment equity” candidates could apply.
- Solidarity says it launched legal action against the company in response to the advertisement.
- The company was looking for a logistics intern.
- For more financial news, visit News24 Business.
Solidarity has threatened Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) with legal action over a job advertisement for an intern position which stipulated that only “employment equity” candidates could apply.
The internship was in the logistics division.
In the original job advertisement, which Solidarity shared on X, one requirement was that candidates must be “employment equity candidates.”
“In a job advertisement for internships for unemployed youth, Coca-Cola stipulated that the candidate must be black. There is no moral justification for classifying unemployed youth by race. There is no obligation on companies to include racial requirements in advertisements. On the contrary, racially specific advertisements are unlawful. Including race in advertisements is a self-imposed practice by employers that must be stopped,” said Dirk Herman, the union's CEO.
He said Solidarity had “initiated legal action” against Coca-Cola.
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In the job advertisement for internship for unemployed youth,… pic.twitter.com/jGz9Rb3QmB
– Dirk Herman (@SolidariDirk) 28 April 2026
Solidarity also plans to file a complaint with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), of which the US, Coca-Cola's home country, is a signatory.
Harman said Coca-Cola responded to the union in writing, in which it acknowledged a “terminological error.”
The CCBSA said it “resulted in the immediate removal of the advertisement”.
The drinks group said it was “following internal investigation procedures to ensure similar errors do not occur again”.
It says it is “committed to developing a workforce with diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds that reflect the wide range of consumers we serve, and our approach to fair and inclusive employment practices is guided by our obligations under the law”.
Although Coca-Cola removed the ad, Anton van der Bijl, head of Solidarity's legal division, told News 24 that the CCBSA has not accepted the other demands made by Solidarity in the complaint letter.
This included a “commitment that they would not advertise any posts with any caste classification or criteria”.
Van der Bijl said, “While we await instructions from our legal team, we think at this time it looks like we are going to proceed with a complaint to the OECD based on these other demands not being met.”
The CCBSA told News 24 it “has no additional comment at this time.”