Page:Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 2000.pdf/4

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Act No. 4, 2000

Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, 2000

34.

Directive principle on HIV/AIDS, nationality, socio-economic status and family responsibility and status

35.

Short title and commencement

Chapter 1

Definitions, objects, interpretation, guiding principles and application of Act

Definitions

1. (1) In this Act, unless the context indicates otherwise—

(i)

“age” includes the conditions of disadvantage and vulnerability suffered by persons on the basis of their age, especially advanced age;

(ii)

“clerk of the equality court” means a clerk of an equality court appointed or designated in terms of section 17, read with section 31, and includes any reference to “a clerk”;

(iii)

“Commission for Gender Equality” means the Commission for Gender Equality referred to in section 187 of the Constitution;

(iv)

“complainant” means any person who alleges any contravention of this Act and who institutes proceedings in terms of the Act;

(v)

“Constitution” means the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act No. 108 of 1996);

(vi)

“constitutional institution” means any of the relevant institutions supporting constitutional democracy referred to in Chapter 9 of the Constitution and includes the Pan South African Language Board;

(vii)

“Department” means the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development;

(viii)

“discrimination” means any act or omission, including a policy, law, rule, practice, condition or situation which directly or indirectly—

(a)

imposes burdens, obligations or disadvantage on; or

(b)

withholds benefits, opportunities or advantages from,

any person on one or more of the prohibited grounds;

(ix)

“equality” includes the full and equal enjoyment of rights and freedoms as contemplated in the Constitution and includes de jure and de facto equality and also equality in terms of outcomes;

(x)

“equality court” means a court contemplated in section 16, read with section 31, and includes any reference to “court”;

(xi)

“family responsibility” means responsibility in relation to a complainant’s spouse, partner, dependent, child or other members of his or her family in respect of whom the member is liable for care and support;

(xii)

“family status” includes membership in a family and the social, cultural and legal rights and expectations associated with such status;

(xiii)

“harassment” means unwanted conduct which is persistent or serious and demeans, humiliates or creates a hostile or intimidating environment or is calculated to induce submission by actual or threatened adverse consequences and which is related to—

(a)

sex, gender or sexual orientation; or

(b)

a person’s membership or presumed membership of a group identified by one or more of the prohibited grounds or a characteristic associated with such group;

(xiv)

“HIV/AIDS status” includes actual or perceived presence in a person’s body of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or symptoms of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), as well as adverse assumptions based on this status;

(xv)

“marital status” includes the status or condition of being single, married, divorced, widowed or in a relationship, whether with a person of the same or the opposite sex, involving a commitment to reciprocal support in a relationship;