Essential social security law, examines the law that seeks to alleviate the economic and social consequences suffered by people in the event of a complete or partial loss of income. It focuses on those contingencies that have a direct impact on a person's earning capacity, such as old age, injuries, unemployment, sickness and pregnancy. It also deals with the death of a breadwinner, medical incapacity, the inability to maintain children, personal and community crises, hardship caused by the state and the lack of opportunities for disadvantaged members of society. In the process of examining these contingencies, the title deals with legislation such as the Social Assistance Act, Pension Funds Act, Compensation for occupational injuries and diseases Act, Unemployment Insurance Act, Basic Conditions of Employment Act and Medical Schemes Act. The k includes recent judgments dealing with various aspects of social security and cross-references the important and comprehensive report on social security compiled by the Taylor Committee. It also contains an additional chapter on the concept of informal social security in South Africa (such as stokvels). The title also sheds light on a number of issues that have a bearing on social security, for instance, financing and administration, unfair discrimination in social security legislation and the social security rights of migrant workers.

This work examines the role that the law plays in the eradication of unfair discrimination and promotion of affirmative action in the workplace, examining the Employment Equity Act as well as the manner in which the courts have interpreted and given effect to the Act. It is divided into four parts. In Part One the current legislative framework regulating employment equity, namely the Constitution and the Employment Equity Act, is examined. Part Two of the book focuses on the general principles of employment discrimination law. It examines the concept of "unfair discrimination", the distinction between "direct" and "indirect" discrimination and "listed" and "unlisted" grounds of discrimination. This Part also deals with the statutory defences against an allegation of unfair discrimination. Part Three examines issues such as dismissal on discriminatory grounds including race, sex, disability and HIV/AIDS; the principle of equal pay for work of equal value; discrimination against persons with disabilities; employment testing; sexual harassment; and affirmative action. Part Four of the book deals with the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (PEPUDA) to the extent that it impacts on the workplace.