The Constitutional Court has put a stop to the Department of Tourism’s controversial COVID-19 tourism relief fund distribution criteria. The tourism department used Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) as one of the criteria to grant relief to businesses.

Trade union, Solidarity, and lobby group AfriForum, took the matter to court in 2020, for unfair discrimination.

In 2021, the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that the criteria were indeed unlawful.

The Constitutional Court upheld the judgment and dismissed the department’s bid to overturn the Supreme Court of Appeal judgment with costs.

Supreme court ruling the criteria of the Tourism Department :