A senior SABC executive in Auckland Park is being accused of sexual harassment and hiring a bevy of female employees in his department.
The executive, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was accused by two workers unions Broadcasting, Electronic, Media & Allied Workers Union (BEMAWU) and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) in a letter addressed to the SABC company secretary, Mahmood Salojee, last month.
In the letter , which we have seen, the CWU general secretary Aubrey Tshabalala stated that during the meet-and-greet session with the SABC board on 24 of May this year, CWU raised the allegations of sexual harassment against the executive and the board had expressed its grave concern about the allegation.
He also stated that the issue was reported to the former group chief executive officer (CEO ) Madoda Mxakwe on March 17 ,2022 who requested the chief audit executive (CAE) Thamsanqa Zikode to coordinate a formal sitting to investigate the matter.
It is alleged that the CAE requested the meeting with the victims but SABC human resource specialist Manno Bopape threatened and intimidated the victims and instilled fear in the alleged sexually abused victims.
“It is custom as per the SABC policies that the alleged perpetrators should be immediately suspended pending investigation and it should not be different in this instance as this is a very serious allegation, especially given the influential position that (name withheld) holds ,” reads the letter.
Tshabalala added that the executive occupied a position of power and that he could continue with such conduct, intimidate witnesses and interfere with internal investigation, and said it was incomprehensible why he still roamed the SABC offices as if no alleged misconduct has been reported.
The requested the board to enquire from the acting Group chief executive officer Nada Wotshela why the executive has not been suspended and then ice him with immediate effect.
Unions also stated that two years ago, the SABC suspended and fired one senior official who was accused of the same allegations, therfore they did not understand why the same fate could not be suffered by the executive.
“We cannot allow for preferential treatment to play itself out just because the alleged offender is a senior in the company. We urge the board to also investigate the male/female ratio of people appointed by the executive’s department, as it appears to be in favour of females as opposed to males. Lastly, we suggest for the board to conduct a climate survey and a reporting line for sexual harassment at the SABC. We pray for the board to move with the necessary speed concerning this very difficult task and journey and confirm our commitment to work with the board in a zest to turn the SABC around and restore its credibility,” said Tshabalala.
Unions also demanded that the correspondence should be brought to the attention of the board so that it could respond to the letter by June 26 this year.
They threatened to explore other avenues to deal with the matter if the board did not comply with their demands.
SABC spokesperson Mmoni Seapolelo said: “The SABC views sexual harassment in a serious light and will use its internal policies and procedures to deal with any reported allegations related to it”.
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