How toxic leaders are impacting SA's workforce
A rising body of research is unearthing a troubling dynamic in corporate leadership: a concerning prevalence of narcissistic and psychopathic traits among those at the helm. This disturbing trend not only compromises organisational integrity but also adversely impacts the mental health and well-being of employees, creating an epidemic of workplace toxicity that is increasingly hard to ignore.
Prof Renata Schoeman, Head of Healthcare Leadership at Stellenbosch Business School, highlights that certain personality traits typically associated with psychopaths—charm, fearless dominance, boldness, and a grandiose sense of self—are often seen as advantageous in the cutthroat world of business. Research indicates that while only about 1% of the general population meets the criteria for antisocial personality disorder, nearly 4% of business leaders may fit this profile, with CEO roles being the most common breeding ground for such traits.
The consequences for employees are alarming. National studies have revealed that one-third of South African workers have left jobs due to toxic leadership. Moreover, over 40% of workplace illnesses are linked to stress, with one in four employees diagnosed with depression. Prof Schoeman states that while the situation appears dire, it is critical to differentiate between leaders who exhibit narcissistic or psychopathic tendencies and those who may simply be difficult bosses. 'Narcissists and psychopaths have distinct, clinically identifiable traits,' she asserts, emphasising the importance of accurate recognition to prevent wrongful labelling and conflict.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Tobacco Bill: Smoke-free areas not an infringement of smokers' rights, says expert
The proposed Tobacco Bill aims to prohibit smoking indoors and introduce more graphic warning labels to encourage smokers to quit. Supporters of the Tobacco Bill believe that the right to a healthy environment supersedes any rights smokers may claim to have. Parliamentary deliberations on the Tobacco Bill are continuing, with the creation of smoke-free public spaces one of the Bill's key objectives. Presentations trying to tip the scales of opinion in support of the Bill were given on Tuesday to the Portfolio Committee on Health. Non-smokers' rights first Patricia Lambert from The Campaign For Tobacco Free Kids began by addressing the argument that smokers would have their rights infringed upon by the bill. 'The answer is emphatically, no!' declared Lambert, a constitutional lawyer by training and former legal advisor to the justice and health portfolios in parliament. 'From a constitutional perspective, the government has the obligation to protect the rights of everyone. 'And because smoke-free policies protect non-smokers and our young people — and they help people to quit — these rights need to be upheld. The right to health needs to be upheld by the South African government,' said Lambert. 'And since no rights are absolute, in terms of our constitution, they can be limited, as long as there is a reasonable justification for that limitation,' she explained. Lambert's presentation concluded by stating that government should amplify Article 24 of the constitution by regulating all harmful products regardless of their perceived level of harm. 'To not do so would be an abdication of responsibility to protect the health of the South African people' the presentation stated. Zero smoking indoors The South African Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance (SANCDA) reiterated the health implications of smoking, including the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancers and respiratory diseases. The alliance believe e-cigarettes have been shown to have similar long-term effects, which is amplified by the uptick in usage by teenagers. SANCDA's Elize Joubert used a 2021 tobacco survey to show that roughly 11% of adults were exposed to secondhand smoke at work, 10% at restaurants and 18% at home. Currently, up to 25% of indoor spaces can be segregated for smoking, but Joubert said that still posed too great a danger to workers and the public alike. 'The complete ban on smoking and the use of e-cigarettes in indoor public places and certain outdoor spaces will protect the right of all citizens to a healthy environment,' stated Joubert. 'Such a ban also promotes quitting and de-normalises smoking and vaping.' Illicit trade warning According to Joubert, standardised packaging with larger, more graphic warnings is essential as only 35% of smokers considered quitting when seeing the current variants. She said that plain packaging — including limiting the design and dimensions of vapes — minimised initiation, motivated quitting and was a cost-effective way to raise risk awareness. In a presentation against the Bill given last week, Head of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs at British American Tobacco's sub-Saharan Africa office, Johnny Moloto, said the Bill would allow illicit traders to thrive. 'Every measure that we believe makes legal products less accessible or more expensive, we believe will drive more consumers towards the illicit market, where government has zero control over the contents, quality and age restrictions,' warned Moloto. NOW READ: New smoking laws will drive illicit tobacco market, warns industry leader
Daily Maverick
2 days ago
- Daily Maverick
Comedian Celeste Ntuli's weight of truth encompasses laughter, stigma and the obesity crisis
'In African families, losing weight invites suspicion. 'Are you okay? Are you sick?' they'll ask. Gain weight? 'Oh, you're happy and being taken care of.' That's the framework many of us grew up with,' says comedian Celeste Ntuli. South Africa's beloved comedian, Celeste Ntuli, has built a career on making people laugh. But when she speaks about her lifelong struggle with obesity, the humour carries an edge of truth. Experts warn that the condition is a chronic disease driving hypertension, type 2 diabetes and more than 230 health complications. The 46-year-old comedian and actress, who grew up in rural Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal, recalls being the only overweight child in her family. Ntuli grew up in a family of four sisters, but was the only one who carried extra weight. 'All my sisters are slim — I was the odd one out,' she said. 'At home, it was always, 'What happened to you?' as if I'd done something wrong.' She believes her body type comes from her aunts, rather than her parents. 'I inherited their curves and size — it's in my DNA. I didn't choose this body; I was born into it.' However, in her community, size was never stigmatised. 'Being big was not just acceptable — it was celebrated. I watched my aunts, and older women, proudly carry their size. From them, I learnt that shame can be attached to your body, yes — but I also learnt to carry it with dignity,' she said. But things changed when she went to school in Durban. Her quick wit became both shield and weapon. 'Humour became my armour. I learnt to crack a joke before anyone else could, or expose their weakness, to disarm any body shaming at school.' As Ntuli's career grew, public scrutiny of her body sharpened. 'On stage, my size was part of the punchline — sometimes mine, sometimes theirs. Off stage, it became a conversation about health, beauty and worth. And those are not easy conversations in a world obsessed with body image.' She highlighted the cultural nuance that still frames weight in South Africa. 'In African families, losing weight invites suspicion. 'Are you okay? Are you sick?' they'll ask. Gain weight? 'Oh, you're happy and being taken care of.' That's the framework many of us grew up with.' Now prediabetic, Ntuli has shifted her focus. 'We must separate health from this narrow definition of beauty,' she said. Food, for her, has always carried deep meaning. 'Food for me is love — it's family, it's comfort, it's culture.' Her tastes remain rooted in tradition. She laughed as she described inyama yenhloko — the whole cow's head — as one of the best meals, 'with no translation in English'. This dish, a staple in many South African cultures, is often prepared for special occasions and celebrations. Friends and family, she added, know her for a good curry. At the same time, her most nostalgic food memory is a bowl of maas, the fermented milk she affectionately calls 'rural couscous', a staple from her childhood. She insisted: 'I love food — who doesn't? But loving food shouldn't mean I hate my body. The two can coexist — enjoyment and health — but it takes knowledge, access to resources and, at times, medical intervention.' In a battle to lose weight, Ntuli admitted to trying everything from intermittent fasting to boot camps, gym and even attempting a gruelling 15km run. 'I died after an hour at that boot camp,' she joked. Her search for quick fixes once took a bizarre turn. 'I once drank urine because someone said it would help me lose weight,' she recalled, pulling a face. 'It was the most horrible thing I've ever done — I'll never do that again.' Despite the missteps, she remains pragmatic. 'I try to stay disciplined, but sometimes my working schedule, previous injuries, or just life get in the way. I've learnt to give myself grace.' Ntuli spoke to Daily Maverick on the sidelines of the Novo Nordisk Wegovy media launch last week in Rosebank. A public health emergency Ntuli's story is far from unique. South Africa has one of the highest obesity rates in sub-Saharan Africa: two in three women (68%) and nearly one in three men (31%) are overweight or obese, according to Statistics South Africa (StatsSA). The consequences go beyond aesthetics — obesity is a chronic disease recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) linked to more than 230 health conditions, from type 2 diabetes to cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer. The International Diabetes Federation estimates that 2.4 million adults in South Africa live with type 2 diabetes, with most cases directly linked to excess body fat. The financial cost is staggering: overweight and obesity cost the public health system R33-billion annually, about 15% of the government health expenditure, a figure that should raise concerns about the economic impact of this public health crisis. Dr Kershlin Naidu, a Midrand-based specialist endocrinologist with decades of experience treating type 2 diabetes and obesity, has sounded the alarm: 'We are dealing with a public health crisis hiding in plain sight.' Naidu added: 'Obesity is not simply a matter of willpower or lifestyle choice — it is a chronic, relapsing condition.' Sara Norcross, general manager of Novo Nordisk South Africa, added: 'Obesity is not a choice — no one wakes up and decides to be obese. It is a chronic disease, and we must stop reducing it to myths and moral failings.' Moving beyond blame Experts stress that focusing on 'eat less, move more' oversimplifies the issue. Professor Arya M Sharma, Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the University of Alberta, told the Cardio-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) Africa Summit 2025 in Cape Town: 'Some people are naturally slender, but most sit on a spectrum where genetics and biology dictate weight gain, even with identical diets and activity levels.' He explained that the brain's powerful homeostatic system was designed to defend body weight against loss. 'The minute you stop dieting, your weight fights to return,' he said. Another brain system, the hedonic or reward system, drives eating for pleasure rather than hunger, making sustained weight loss a complex battle against deeply rooted biology. Living with the weight of stigma For Ntuli, stigma often bites deeper than the medical realities. 'Your body tells your story, but it's not the whole book. We deserve to write chapters about joy, movement, breathing easily when we walk upstairs — not just how we look in photos.' Her honesty struck a chord during the Rosebank obesity awareness event, at which she spoke of the guilt, excuses and exhaustion that often come with fluctuating weight. She admitted she sometimes avoids exercise, not out of laziness, but because of injury fears, long workdays, or sheer fatigue. 'I genuinely feel like my life is one long treadmill — up at five, home after midnight. So sometimes I just can't.' Yet she carries her size with humour and defiance. She quipped about body shaming: 'I've got comebacks for days. If someone comments on my weight at a family gathering, I remind them of their faults (like not finishing matric) — and they keep quiet.' Ntuli reflected on how weight filters into her personal life, particularly dating. 'I've dated guys who actually prefer big women,' she said, laughing. 'But society doesn't always allow you to believe that love and attraction can exist outside narrow beauty standards. I've had to learn to carry myself confidently — because if I don't, people assume size means insecurity.' Yet, as she put it, 'I am single and I don't have children.' She explained herself in unprovoked honesty: 'I am a leaver,' she said, explaining that if something doesn't feel right in relationships or life, she chooses to walk away rather than remain unhappy. While the pharmaceutical company hosted the Rosebank event, Ntuli's presence underscored a broader message: obesity is not only about new medications, but about lived experiences, culture, stigma and survival. Ntuli's voice — mixing mischief, vulnerability, and insight — places human stories at the centre of a national crisis too often reduced to statistics or industry product launches. Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, told Daily Maverick: 'Endocrine disorders, including diabetes mellitus (type 2 diabetes), have been prioritised for review in the current phase of the Standard Treatment Guidelines and Essential Medicines List. All identified medicines — including glucagon-like peptide-1 agents such as semaglutide (Wegovy®) — will undergo rigorous health technology assessments as part of a comprehensive package for diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease management in South Africa.' DM
IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Surprise raids in Durban target non-compliant processed meat products
NRCS officials conducting a surprise inspection at a local wholesaler in Durban. Image: Doctor Ngcobo/ Independent Newspapers The National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS), South African Police Service (SAPS) and the National Consumer Commission (NCC), descended on various businesses in Durban for high-impact surprise raids on Tuesday and seized non-compliant ready-to-eat processed meat products. NRCS Food and Associated Industries Business Unit principal inspector Grant Hingle said they were there to administer regulations regarding ready-to-eat processed meat products. He explained that following the listeriosis outbreak a few years ago, the Department of Trade and Industry mandated the NRCS to regulate the processed meat industry to eliminate a possible recurrence of the outbreak. All ready-to-eat processed meat product manufacturers are required to follow a national standard of compulsory specification and a South African national standard. Wholesaler employees packaging processed meat products in Durban. Image: Doctor Ngcobo/ Independent Newspapers 'We have a situation where we have sort of retail butcheries manufacturing processed meat products on their premises for sale in their stores,' Hingle said. He said their primary focus is to try to get them to comply. One of their stops was Point Wholesale Meats on Mahatma Gandhi Road in the Point area, where the team identified and seized several ready-to-eat processed meat products. 'They're manufacturing on site. They have made some attempt to have process control when they manufacture, but they do need to comply in terms of other sorts of more safety-related requirements,' Hingle said. 'So we will be in touch with them. I have corresponded with the manager. We're going to arrange to provide him with the documentation that he needs in order to comply and be registered as a manufacturer.' Seized non-compliant processed meat products during the NRCS raid. Image: Doctor Ngcobo/ Independent Newspapers In light of these infractions, Hingle explained that they do not fine, they only remove products from the market. 'We've uplifted all their stock that falls within that regulation. We have the authority to be able to remove the product from the market, but we don't actually fine them,' Hingle said. NRCS principal inspector Grant Hingle explained the importance of compliance in the processed meat industry. Image: Doctor Ngcobo/ Independent Newspapers He clarified that all ready-to-eat processed meat products covered by the compulsory specification are incorrectly labeled. 'They basically haven't been produced in a controlled approved facility, so that's the reason why by default the product is considered to be non-compliant,' Hingle said. Next, was Chester Butcheries on Umgeni Road where the team seized more products. 'They're not manufacturing any product here. We need to locate the source of the product that we've just taken now. We sort of know more or less where we need to go,' Hingle explained. 'There wasn't a lot of product here. Probably the equivalent of maybe 50 kilograms of product.' Hingle said their next mission was finding where the product is manufactured. NRCS Electrotech Business Unit general manager Tintswalo Ntlhane said their mandate is to enforce compliance in the field of electrotech, chemical, mechanical, food and automotive. She said they planned to go to the street and market to identify non-compliant goods in the market. 'We will identify electronic equipment or products, we will identify, eradicate those that are non-compliant. Non-compliant, it means they are not compliant to the regulation,' Ntlhane explained. 'It's either they don't have a letter of authority or they are not allowed to be in the market. So we are here to eradicate that. We will take it out from the market so that people can purchase with confidence. Those products are not good for the market. They are not good for the public. And hence, we are here to eradicate this non-compliance.' Inspectors from NRCS and SAPS collaborating to enforce food safety regulations. Image: Doctor Ngcobo/ Independent Newspapers Ntlhane said a police presence was necessary for safety because some shop owners retaliate when they see their stock seized. 'Sometimes they retaliate, so we need support from our sister companies and other entities, law enforcement agencies to support us and to protect us when we do these activities,' Ntlhane said. She added that major raids help them identify many non-compliance issues. [email protected]
