A union has demanded that KFC South Africa stop degrading its staff after an incident involving the R2 Add Hope targets, a customer-based donation that goes to nonprofits. A written warning was recently circulated on social media showing a KFC South Africa employee receiving a warning for failing to “meet the Add Hope target”. KFC South Africa investigated and found the franchise owner carried out the disciplinary action. They stated on social media that they “firmly oppose the use of the Add Hope programme as a performance measure”.
All of KFC's franchise partners and staff have been reminded and will continue to reinforce this message throughout their system through consistent communication and staff training. A former KFC employee, a 36-year-old man who worked at an East London branch for six years, said there was pressure from management to convince customers to add R2 to their bills. He explained that written warnings were only given if your till came up short often, but they would give verbal warnings if you missed the target to add R2 for Hope donations. If you struggled to convince customers to donate within a month at the cash register, you would be transferred to another duty, either preparing chicken or serving.
The Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Fawu) “strongly condemns” the written warning incident. It is completely unacceptable and incomprehensible in the first place for the company to demand of employees to reach a specified Add Hope quota, knowing very well that its employees have absolutely no control over customers’ decision to donate or not.” Fawu “demands that KFC create clear policies and regulations for their partners, management and employees regarding the Add Hope campaign to avoid future embarrassment and degrading treatment of its employees”.
The KFC Add Hope 2023 annual report explained that R2 donations, along with KFC’s contributions, go into the KFC Social Responsibility Trust, and are donated to more than 130 nonprofit organisations. The trust is a separate public benefit organisation, and is independently audited by KPMG. Customers could get a section 18A certificate, an official document that serves as evidence for their R2 donation, which could be tax-deductible.
The 2021/22 annual report noted that donations totalled about R103-million, but only R9-million of that appears to have been disbursed by 28 February 2022. This disbursement is listed as “cash flows from operating activities” and does not specify which amounts go to which charity (or whether these are charitable contributions at all given the generic catch-all language that is used). If indeed 130 nonprofit organisations are supported, they would each receive only about R69,230.
It is also unclear whether this money is used towards creating healthy meals. The Add Hope website says: “It encourages KFC customers to add R2 to their bills so that hungry and malnourished children can be supported with nutritious meals.” The 2024 Add Hope impact report speaks of “balanced nutritious meals daily with menus developed by dieticians to ensure optimal development of the children”, with no mention of the meal’s actual composition.
A case study of KFC found that the campaign has increased public trust in the brand, commanding awareness levels of over 75% among consumers, leading to increased affinity for KFC. A study comparing the online marketing techniques of food and beverage companies’ websites in six countries has shown that companies showcase healthier products in wealthier countries and advertise their philanthropic activities in lower-income countries.
