Myrtle Keyter
In a landmark triumph for South African workplace rights, the Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) has successfully overturned the unfair dismissal of a local service advisor, exposing a bruising corporate dispute that led to wrongful arrests and a devastating family ordeal.
Following a lengthy arbitration process under the Motor Industry Bargaining Council (MIBCO) Dispute Resolution Centre, the arbitrator ruled that Mossel Bay Ford’s dismissal of Service Advisor Anya van Antwerp was substantively unfair. Van Antwerp has been awarded nearly R70,000 in compensation—the equivalent of four months' salary—after the automotive employer's subsequent application to overturn the ruling was firmly dismissed.
The dealership had accused Van Antwerp of dishonesty after she gave evidence during an internal disciplinary hearing. However, the MIBCO arbitration process completely vindicated her, establishing that her testimony was entirely truthful and fully backed by both documentary and witness evidence.
The dispute centred on cash payments related to the collection of used oil at the dealership. The arbitrator found that these cash transactions were actually common practice within the workplace and that multiple employees routinely received them, completely demolishing the employer's grounds for allegations of misconduct.
