Pregnant employees are strongly protected under South African law. There are no fewer than six pieces of legislation that require employers to treat pregnant and post-pregnant employees with the greatest of care. One of these pieces of legislation is the Code of good practice on pregnancy and after birth (https://www.labourguide.co.za/ccma-informations/43-general/general/515-code-of-good-practice-on-pregnancy-and-afterbirth).
The code, issued in terms of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), is aimed at protecting pregnant and post-pregnant employees. It obliges employers to encourage women employees to inform the employer of their pregnancy as early as possible so as to ensure that the employer can assess risks and deal with them. The employer must also evaluate the situation of each employee who has informed the employer that she is pregnant and assess risks to the health and safety of pregnant or breast-feeding employees within the workplace...
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