AmaZulu FC official Simanga Mchunu has been banned from football for three months. Mchunu was suspended for three months from all football-related activities by the PSL Disciplinary Committee (DC) for unsavoury remarks directed at a female Orlando Pirates official.
The KZN club was further directed to take some of their officials, mostly from the security department, to a sensitivity and gender neutrality workshop.
Said PSL prosecutor Zola Majavu: “I can confirm that yesterday the PSL DC concluded two matters. The first one was a complaint by a female official of Orlando Pirates directed at a male official of AmaZulu. The nature of the complaint was comments of an unsavoury, unwelcome, discriminatory, and sexually derogatory nature directed at the female official.
“At the commencement of the hearing, the respondent, Simanga Mchunu pleaded not guilty. After the evidence of the complainant female official, he requested to formally tender an apology and also to change his plea from not guilty to guilty.
“As the prosecutor, I accepted that change of plea, however, belated it might have been, in the result the PSL DC then found Mchunu guilty as charged, as well as found his employer, AmaZulu FC guilty as charged.
“Having tendered such an apology, which apology was welcomed by the affected and aggrieved official from Orlando Pirates, and having listened to the submissions, both in aggravation and mitigation of sentence, and recognising the uniqueness and seriousness of this particular case, the PSL DC ruled as follows:
“Mchunu is banned from all footballing activities for an effective period of three months.”
“Two, his employer, AmaZulu FC, is further directed to send all its officials in the security and communications departments for a diversity and gender sensitivity exercise, and related issues that deal with discrimination, homophobia, and any other comments that may be stripping others of their dignity.
“Recognising that such an exercise would in itself be an expensive one, the PSL DC decided not to issue a monetary fine against the employer, AmaZulu FC. Over and above that, they were further directed to carry the pro rata costs of the DC sittings, mindful of the fact that there was another matter that was finalized on the same day.
“The DC specifically sounded a serious warning on the likes of the complainant and those who might be tempted to behave in a manner that potentially strip any other person, and that the jurisdiction of the league of their dignity, that this is something that they will treat with the seriousness and firmness it deserves.
“AmaZulu was further directed to send a written apology to the league and sponsors and carry such apology on each website. A copy has to be flighted on the PSL website within seven days of the date of the order,” concluded Majavu.
