You may be aware that over the past few days, Woolworths has been accused of racist recruitment practices – specifically, of not employing white people. We want to reassure you that this is SIMPLY NOT TRUE. The rumours apparently were sparked by some of our recruitment ads that designate certain posts for certain groups, and are being fuelled by an organisation that has called on its members to boycott us. Here are the facts: •Woolworths DOES employ white people. We employ women and men of all races – white, black, coloured, Indian, as well as people with disabilities, and will continue to do so. •We’re a passionately South African company, so diversity is important to us. So is offering fair career opportunities. There are some areas of our business where certain groups are seriously under represented. These are the positions where we actively look for qualified candidates from specific groups. •Most other businesses do the same to bring diversity into their workforces. In fact, in South Africa all businesses that have more than 50 employees are required to do this. •We believe the responsible thing to do is to be open and transparent in our recruitment ads about the type of candidates we are looking for. Integrity is one of the values we hold dear. As a born-and-bred South African company, we care deeply about the long-term sustainability of our country. With your help we’ve made significant contributions, through programmes like MySchool, to socio-economic development. We’ll continue supporting transformation and socio-economic development because they’re essential for our country’s (and our company’s) future.