In August 2017 the former Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mduduzi Manana, was captured on camera assaulting three women with the assistance of his friends Thulani Madonka and Cyril Madonsela. This led to his resignation and subsequent conviction of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. In early November Manana was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a R100 000 fine, as well as community service – a sentence which enables him to remain in Parliament. The Constitution stipulates that individuals only become ineligible to stand as public representatives if, in the last five years, they have received a sentence in excess of 12 months without the option of a fine.
Esther Mahlangu-Mathibela was sexually harassed for three years by George Mthimunye, the then-municipal manager of the Dr JS Moroka Municipality in Mpumalanga. In 2001 Mthimunye was finally suspended and charged with sexual harassment and unauthorised or fruitless expenditure. He later settled with the municipality and resigned in 2001, reportedly having received a R5 million settlement. Mthimunye was then appointed the municipal manager of the Naledi municipality in Vryburg – and suspended in 2010 in the course of disciplinary proceedings against him, related to tender irregularities.
On 1 June 2017 Malibongwe Ngcai started his job as general manager of corporate services in the Eastern Cape Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), and Basil Mase the general manager of strategic information management, also in COGTA. Both men had resigned their positions as senior managers in the Eastern Cape Legislature only one day before joining COGTA – so evading any sanctions arising from the disciplinary proceedings against them.
On 29 November the Dullah Omar Institute (DOI) bade farewell to six officials from Chilambana Local Government Training Institute, Ministry of Local Government in Zambia.
In March 2017 a 44-year-old government female employee in the labour relations unit of the Sekhukhune District municipal council in Limpopo reportedly had to apply for a protection order against “the institution’s corporate services director.”
Parliament has its work cut out for it in tackling issues around gender-based violence if the recommendations of the high-level panel on the assessment of legislation and the acceleration of fundamental change, is anything to go by. The panel in its recently published report made a couple of recommendations for Parliament to take a more leading role on the issue. Acknowledging the problems raised around the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act (DVA), it recommended that Parliament make certain changes to the DVA that will be welcomed by civil society organisations.
A social media campaign is putting political parties on the back foot over their handling of sexual violence allegations against party members.The ANC, Democratic Alliance and Inkatha Freedom Party have been challenged on their handling of cases in which some members were accused of sexual misconduct.
Every year MPs debate the scourge of violence against women and children in Parliament as part of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign. These debates usually just escalate into political squabbling and mudslinging with the real message often getting lost. This year was no different. Perhaps it is time to remind public representatives of the real people and faces behind the statistics they use against each other for political point scoring?
The theme of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children that started on November 25 is “count me in”.Yet certain organisations have slammed the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) for undermining the safety of women and children.
In May of this year an unnamed ANC councillor was accused of raping a 16-year old girl. He was released on bail of R5 000 by the Mdutjana Magistrate’s Court in Siyabuswa, Mpumalanga and the next court date set for 23 June.
On Thursday 30 November Sipho Maselane, an ANC councillor for Winterveldt, will be appearing in the Ga-Rankuwa magistrates court to face multiple criminal charges, including for rapes and robberies committed in 2014 and 2015. The case has been on the court roll for over two years and been postponed numerous times.
In May 2017 a 26-year old worker in the DA offices laid a sexual harassment complaint against Edmund van Vuuren, the DA’s Chief Whip in the Eastern Cape Legislature.
