Press Statement | Lawyers for Human Rights Deeply Disappointed as Delinquent Directors Continue to Defy the Labour Court

Date: 13/11/2025


Disappointingly, the long running contempt of court case that LHR’s Workers Rights Project and the Casual Workers Advice Office have been pursuing for years is to continue.Both organisations had hoped that Tuesday’s hearing would be the end of the matter, with justice for Mr Vusimusi Hlope. Instead, the Labour Court has granted another postponement.

Mr Hlope was dismissed for complaining about his wages in September 2021. The Metal and Engineering IndustriesBargaining Council (MEIBC) ruled that the dismissal was unfair and ordered that Mr Hlope be reinstated from 28th October 2022. If the company had abided by this order, it would have been the end of the matter. However, they refused. Three years later, Mr Hlope remains unemployed.

On 16th November 2023, the Labour Court found the threedirectors of Integrated Business Supply, Evan and Michael Linley andKarien Stassen, guilty of contempt of court for not reinstating Mr Hlope.

They were fined R150,000, suspended for 30 days on condition they reinstate Mr Hlope. They neither reinstated Mr Hlope nor paid the fine. The directors have now defied the court for two years.

By refusing to re-instate Mr Hlope the directors dug a financial hole for themselves. Mr Hlope is now owed his wages as from his ordered re- instatement. And since these have not been paid, there is, by law, interest on the debt.

On August 28th this year, LHR applied to the Labour Court forthe directors to be incarcerated to bring closure to the directors’ Stalingradlegal tactics.

The court ruled that the directors return to the court on the 11th November 2025 and must provide, five days prior, an affidavit explaining why they had not complied with the November 2023 court order, and further to appear in person to explain the same. If they could not explain this satisfactorily, they would beincarcerated for a period determined by the court.

The directors failed to produce this affidavit. A matter raised by LHR with the court, but without consequence. With a new legal representative, the directors asked for more time to raise the money in settlement, despite having had over two months to do this. This request was granted.

The court has given the directors a month in which to find the funds. Should they fail to do this, we are to return to court onthe 10th of March 2026 in five months’ time. LHR is deeply disappointed that a final resolution has been delayed oncemore. We hope that the directors will follow this latest court order.

The continued defiance of court orders in this case raises serious concerns about the challenges in enforcing workers’ rights.

Buhle Sibiya, a Legal Councillor with LHR who has been involved with the case since early 2024 said, “While we recognise the authority of the court, the continued postponement of this matter, despite the directors failing to obey previous orders, is deeply disheartening. Justice for Mr Hlope has yetagain been delayed.”

 For more information contact:

Buhle Sibiya:buhle@lhr.org.za

David Dickinson:david@lhr.org.za

 

 

 

 

 

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