Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, 2000

Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, 2000
Act to give effect to section 9 read with item 23 (1) of Schedule 6 to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, so as to prevent and prohibit unfair discrimination and harassment; to promote equality and eliminate unfair discrimination; to prevent and prohibit hate speech; and to provide for matters connected therewith.
Citation	Act No. 4 of 2000
Territorial extent	Republic of South Africa
Enacted by	Parliament of South Africa
Date assented to	2 February 2000
Date commenced	1 September 2000 / 16 June 2003
Legislation history
Bill	Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Bill
Bill citation	B57—1999
Bill published on	25 October 1999
Introduced by	Penuell Maduna, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development
Amendments
Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Amendment Act, 2002

The Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, 2000 (PEPUDA, Act No. 4 of 2000) is a comprehensive anti-discrimination law enacted by the Parliament of South Africa. It expands on the anti-discrimination provisions of the equality clause (section 9) of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution of South Africa, prohibiting unfair discrimination by the government and by private organisations and individuals as well as forbidding hate speech and harassment. The act specifically lists race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth as "prohibited grounds" for discrimination, but also provides that discrimination on other grounds can be unfair if it has similar effects on dignity or equality.^[1] Specifically excluded from the ambit of the act is employment discrimination, which is addressed by the Employment Equity Act, 1998.

The PEPUDA is one of three human rights-related acts of Parliament passed in early 2000 that were required by the Constitution to be enacted within three years of its commencement on 4 February 1997. The other two are the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), dealing with freedom of information, and the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA), dealing with justice in administrative law.

References

1. ^ "Stand & defend your right to equality!". Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. 2008. http://www.justice.gov.za/EQCact/docs/2008-eqc-brochure.pdf. Retrieved 30 August 2011. 

External links

• Department of Justice and Constitutional Development: Equality Courts
• Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, 2000, as amended
• Regulations Relating to the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination, 2003
• South African Human Rights Commission