Pereira-Kotze is a dietitian by training and has been working in the field of public health nutrition since 2005. Her research and publications have focused on the protection of breastfeeding through maternity protection for informal workers and the documentation of harmful marketing of commercial milk formula. She talks about maternity protection in South Africa.

She explains what is meant by comprehensive maternity protection, and why it is important for breastfeeding. She also unpacks which laws are in place in South Africa for working women regarding maternity and whether these are sufficient.

We also talk about which groups of women are more vulnerable to not being able to access maternity protection and what can be done to improve their access. She also explains what can be done to improve the support for breastfeeding for all working women.

You can read more of her publications here.

Here is a list of resources available to you.

• National Department of Employment and Labour: 
  • Unemployment Insurance Fund online services (including uFiling, a Call Centre and Frequently Asked Questions): https://ufiling.labour.gov.za/uif/
  • The UIF social media accounts frequently shares helpful information: 
    • https://twitter.com/UIFBenefits 
    • https://www.facebook.com/UIFza 
    • https://www.instagram.com/uif_benefits/
• The civil society organisation SERI (Socio-economic Rights Institute of South Africa) and the IZWI Domestic Workers Alliance have the following guides available for domestic workers: 
  • Employing a Domestic Worker: a Legal and Practical Guide (August 2021): https://seri-sa.org/images/SERI_Employers_Rights_Guide_Final.pdf
  • SERI and Izwi Series of Factsheets on employing domestic workers: https://www.seri-sa.org/index.php/more-news/1202-factsheets-seri-and-izwi-produce-a-new-series-of-factsheets-17-february-2022
• The National Department of Health has a booklet on Supporting Breastfeeding in the Workplace: A Guide for Employers and Employees - https://sidebyside.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Breastfeeding-in-Workplace-Booklet.pdf