Standard Bank and Old Mutual have dropped their Covid-19 mandatory vaccination and testing policies for all workers, months after implementing them. The CCMA has weighed in on the validity of vaccine mandates, finding -- in one test case -- that they are unlawful.

Big businesses in South Africa are beginning to drop compulsory Covid vaccinations and testing requirements for their workers, despite lobbying hard for such measures and announcing them with great fanfare at the start of 2022.

Financial services giants Standard Bank and Old Mutual are among these businesses.

The two financial institutions say the mandatory policies are no longer required as most of their workforce (each at more than 90%) is already vaccinated against Covid.

They also say the pandemic is at a stage where it is well-managed and understood, as reflected in the substantial easings of restrictions by the government, such as the scrapping of mask-wearing mandates.

Lungisa Fuzile, the CEO of Standard Bank's South Africa operations, puts it like this: "Based on the current context of the pandemic, we believe that our vaccination policy is no longer required. Consequently, it is no longer compulsory for employees to be vaccinated, or to produce a negative PCR or...