Labour court orders Ster-Kinekor to reinstate worker fired over popcorn
The labour court dismissed Ster-Kinekor's bid to overturn an arbitration award in favour of Yvonne Mogano, a cinema worker at The Zone in Rosebank. She was dismissed for tasting popcorn to check its salt levels.
Acting Judge MJ Motshekga found that Ster-Kinekor had not proven a rule that bans tasting popcorn. The company also did not prove that Mogano knew of such a rule. The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) had earlier found the dismissal unfair.
Ster-Kinekor argued that the commissioner misunderstood the evidence by accepting that Mogano tasted the popcorn and did not eat it. It also said the commissioner ran the arbitration in a biased way. Motshekga said: "These findings are supported by the record, and the outcome is one that a reasonable commissioner could reach."
Complex manager Tyran Naicker said Mogano was eating the popcorn. Mogano said she put only a few kernels in her mouth to check the salt. She said Naicker had told her to taste it in future but not to eat it.
The incident happened on 30 June 2023, and the company dismissed Mogano on 14 July 2023. She had worked for the company since May 2014.
Key facts
- Who
- Yvonne Mogano (Former multi-skilled employee at Ster-Kinekor's The Zone cinema, dismissed and…); Ster-Kinekor (Cinema company that dismissed Mogano and took the arbitration award on review); Tyran Naicker (Complex manager at The Zone cinema who accused Mogano of eating popcorn); MJ Motshekga (Labour court acting judge who delivered the judgment)
- What
- The labour court dismissed Ster-Kinekor's review application against a CCMA arbitration award that found the dismissal of Yvonne Mogano, a multi-skilled employee at The Zone cinema in Rosebank, unfair for tasting popcorn to check salt levels. The court found the company had not proven a rule prohibiting tasting or her knowledge of such a rule, and she is reinstated.
- When
- 2 November 2026
- Where
- Rosebank
- Status
- Reported