Woman fails to save job after buying chocolate with firm’s petty cash

THE pleasure of tucking into two chocolate bars with money from her company's petty cash cost a sales manager dearly: She lost her job.

- ZELDA VENTER

The chocolates became the subject of legal scrutiny - first during arbitration proceedings during which a commissioner accepted her excuse that she was hungry and thus bought the sweet treats. It also now formed part of proceedings at the Labour Court in Johannesburg.

JDG Ltd, trading as Hi Fi Corporation, turned to the labour court to review the arbitration ruling which ordered it to reinstate the employee, only identified as MM. The arbitrator earlier found her dismissal to be substantively unfair.

She was employed as the sales manager of the applicant’s branch in Jabulani Mall. Her dismissal followed after she took petty cash money, on two separate occasions, from the applicant to buy stationery for the company.