The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) has slammed AB InBev for what it called a systematic sidelining of South Africans for senior executive positions at the South African Breweries.

The federation voiced this in a statement it issued late on Monday, 9 June 2025, after it met with the company’s CEO, Richard Rivett-Carnac over a decision to engage in a new round of retrenchments.

SAFTU General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi said there is a sustained assault on workers by SAB under the control of multinational conglomerate AB InBev. He added that the situation at SAB is not an isolated case of corporate restructurin, but it is a deliberate, systematic war on jobs, transformation, and the constitutional rights of workers.

According to Vavi, The pattern that has unfolded since AB InBev’s takeover in 2016 is now undeniable as annual job cuts, outsourcing to low-wage foreign contractors, reversal of transformation commitments, and weakening of internal labour justice systems have become too common.

“It is a textbook example of what happens when mergers are approved without stringent, enforceable public interest protections—and when profit takes precedence over people,” he said.

He then pointed out that since AB InBev took over SAB, South Africans are sidelined in favour of foreign nationals.

“SAB’s leadership structure has been reshaped to favour foreign nationals at senior and executive levels, including directors from Brazil, Mauritius, Mozambique, and Europe. At the same time, the overwhelming majority of retrenched and dismissed workers have been black South Africans,” Vavi alleged.