A decade of fighting ends in victory

In September 2026, labour court Judge Molatelo Robert Makhura ruled that Aspen Pharmacare had unfairly dismissed Roderick Munnick in 2016 and ordered the company to reinstate him.

Aspen appeals just 15 days later

On 9 October, just 15 days after the ruling, Aspen indicated it would appeal against the judgment, plunging Munnick back into uncertainty as he began to rebuild his life.

The man fighting alone

Munnick, 50, a father of two with no legal background, took on Aspen single-handedly after his lawyers disappointed him weeks before his case was due to be heard.

Living in a shelter while fighting

Since his dismissal, Munnick has lived in a windowless two metre by eight metre shelter behind his mother's home in Schauderville, Gqeberha, with one door and a single light.

Months of sleepless preparation

Preparing for his September 2026 hearing, Munnick spent weeks in his cramped shelter reading legal documents. From June until the night before the hearing, he sat up from noon until four am.

“I was forced to sit up from 12 noon until 4am. And I'm not talking about just one week. I'm talking from June until the night before the hearing.”

The cost to his family

Munnick has struggled to support his two children and his pensioner mother since losing his job.His daughter, still at school, turned 16 on Wednesday.

What triggered the dismissal

Munnick was dismissed on 8 September 2016 after a workplace protest at Aspen's Gqeberha operation in May that year.

The incitement allegation

Munnick admitted participating in the protest but was dismissed based on a separate allegation: that he had incited employees to participate in an unlawful picket through emails to the engineering section.

Why the judge ruled in his favour

Judge Makhura found that employees had already decided to picket before Munnick sent his emails. There was no evidence he had influenced that decision or that his messages encouraged the action.

Inconsistent discipline exposed

Another employee faced an incitement allegation but received only a final written warning without a disciplinary hearing. Aspen's human resources representative conceded this difference in treatment was probably a mistake.

“probably a mistake”

Munnick's belief in the protest

Munnick maintained he genuinely believed the protest was lawful, a belief reinforced by advice from his union, the South African Chemical Workers' Union, or Sacwu.

The emotional toll of the fight

Munnick says the dismissal has eaten away at his faith and humanity. He once dreamed of becoming a lawyer and has lost the lifestyle he provided for his children, including vacations and support for two…

“When you are unjustly and unfairly dismissed, it eats away at the very core of your faith and of your belief, and your humanity.”

Ready to fight the appeal alone

Munnick has filed a notice to oppose Aspen's appeal and intends to face the legal battle without legal representation, determined not to let the corporation trample over him.