Five years after the last South African Workplace Equality Index, SAWEI returns with what may be its most ambitious and rigorous cycle yet.
The 2026 SAWEI National Report will be officially published online on 18 May 2026, providing a new national snapshot of LGBT+ workplace inclusion in South Africa.
Published by the SA LGBT+ Management Forum, with MambaOnline as Official Media Partner, SAWEI remains Africa’s only independently assessed benchmark for LGBT+ workplace equality.
The 2026 cycle opened publicly in September 2025, inviting submissions from employers of every size and sector. The upcoming publication will present the validated national findings from participating organisations, alongside broader observations about the state of LGBT+ workplace inclusion in South Africa.
How the 2026 framework is different
The new SAWEI framework marks a major shift from earlier cycles.
Previous editions consisted of just seventeen to eighteen questions and focused primarily on whether organisations had formally begun LGBT+ inclusion work. The 2026 cycle expands that significantly, assessing organisations across 110 questions designed to examine how inclusion functions in everyday workplace practice.
Rather than focusing only on policy statements or visible commitments, the updated framework looks at whether LGBT+ employees, customers and stakeholders can consistently experience inclusion across the systems and structures organisations have built around them.
The framework is organised across eight themes:
- LEAD: Strategy, Governance and Transformation
- DESIGN: Privacy, Self-ID and Inclusive Systems
- WELCOME: Talent Attraction and Inclusive Hiring
- BELONG: Culture, ERGs and Belonging
- GROW: Capability, Literacy and Development
- SUPPORT: Benefits, Wellness and Affirmation
- PARTNER: Supplier Diversity and Community
- INFLUENCE: Brand, Customer and External Advocacy
Recognition is awarded across five tiers, with a Foundation Gate rule limiting higher-tier recognition for organisations missing baseline structural practices.
SAWEI 2026 also begins a five-year accreditation period running from 2025 to 2030, with annual improvement checkpoints scheduled throughout the cycle.
Submissions are assessed by qualified independent auditors under the oversight of the Forum’s independent advisory panel, with evidence verification and tier calibration completed before publication.
What the 2026 cycle focuses on
The updated framework reflects a broader shift in the workplace inclusion conversation.
Where earlier cycles helped organisations begin formal LGBT+ inclusion work, the 2026 cycle focuses more closely on lived experience and operational consistency, including:
- leadership accountability,
- employee support systems,
- customer-facing inclusion,
- workplace culture,
- and the day-to-day barriers LGBT+ people may still encounter inside organisations.
The report also examines whether inclusion efforts are embedded year-round rather than concentrated only during Pride Month or seasonal campaigns.
What launches on 18 May
The 18 May publication will include:
- the national findings from validated submissions,
- theme-level observations across the eight assessment areas,
- and the Forum’s perspective on the next phase of LGBT+ workplace inclusion in South Africa.
A recognition list of organisations whose submissions were validated and tiered will publish alongside the report, while participant-specific
Private Reports will follow shortly afterwards.
A SAWEI 2026 launch webinar is also scheduled for June 2026.
Sign up to be notified when the report goes live.
