FITA says court bid to stop SARS installing CCTV cameras in factories to protect employees' rights

JOHANNESBURG - The Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) said its court bid to stop the SARS from installing CCTV cameras at its members’ factories and warehouses was about protecting not only their rights but the rights of employees.

SARS has recently introduced a new rule allowing for CCTV cameras to be mounted at the premises in an effort to curb illicit activity in the industry.

In May this year, FITA secured an interdict from the High Court in Pretoria halting the implementation pending a review.

SARS has since brought an application for leave to appeal, which was heard on Monday and which FITA has opposed.

FITA chair, Sinenhlanla Mnguni, said that they were confident in their case.

"As FITA, and notwithstanding our role as stakeholders in the local tobacco industry, but when one considers that we are employers who have a duty to protect the rights and interests of our employees, we feel we are justified in approaching the courts in order to review and set aside the rule amendment which SARS seeks to implement."

Their position is firstly, that the new rule violates the company’s and the employees’ rights to privacy.

"But secondly, that it violates the rights to property in that a lot of violations of the intellectual property rights of all the applicants are going to be potentially violated by the implementation of this rule."

Judgment in the application for leave to appeal has been reserved.