The announcement came as the company commemorated Women’s day at its headquarters yesterday, where Vodacom’s Human Resources Director, Perece Kirigiti said that men will have two weeks to stay with their newborn babies.
“We have come to understand that all efforts to empower women should always begin with men and that is why I am happy to announce this review today because it’s a step towards achieving equity.
“It has been demonstrated worldwide that women benefit most when men take paternity leave, so am excited about this move,” she said. Currently, majority of the employers adhere to Section 34(1) (a) of the Employment and Labor Relations Act, 2004, where an employee is entitled to at least three days paid paternity leave and must be taken within seven days of the birth of a child.
Ms Kirigiti said that paternity leave can be taken within the first 18 months of the baby’s arrival, thus giving new fathers an opportunity to choose when they want to stay home and assist with the care of their newborn.
She detailed that paternity leave will be taken at a minimum of one week blocks over 18 months period and this will allow the male workers to think of when best to go on leave.