PEPUDA (Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000) is South Africa's principal anti-discrimination statute, extending constitutional equality rights into private life and creating the Equality Court to enforce them.
The Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000 (PEPUDA, also known as the Equality Act) gives effect to section 9 of the Constitution's right to equality. It prohibits unfair discrimination, hate speech, and harassment on 18 listed grounds (including race, gender, disability, HIV status, religion, and sexual orientation) in all spheres of life — including employment, service delivery, housing, education, and public spaces. PEPUDA establishes the Equality Court (which sits in ordinary magistrate's courts and High Courts) to hear complaints. The court can award damages, order apologies, compel policy changes, and refer matters to other bodies. Proceedings are free and do not require a lawyer.
A restaurant refuses entry to a wheelchair user, citing vague "safety concerns." This is unfair discrimination on the ground of disability under PEPUDA s9. The complainant approaches the Equality Court clerk at the nearest magistrate's court, free of charge.
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