Bhisho bosses on the prowl

FOUR women have broken their silence on a culture of sex-for-jobs that is rife not only in the Bhisho legislature but allegedly across the entire provincial administration.

The victims told the Dispatch this week how senior managers in various departments had pressed them for sexual favours in return for a job.

Their revelations follow an exposé earlier this week by the Dispatch. An investigation is now underway.

Appalled activists have called on government to ensure that the perpetrators are rooted out and dealt with.

Speaking to the paper, two interns accused a senior manager in the legislature of sexual harassment. “I’m always part of a team that prepares outreach programmes.

“I travel a lot and it is then that we experience these things,” said one woman, whose identity is being withheld.

The other intern claimed that the same manager demanded sexual favours from her if she wanted to be employed permanently.

“He knows I have applied for a permanent position but told me to do what he asked for, before I would get employed,” she claimed.

Another woman who came forward told of how she was approached by a Bhisho manager who promised her a job.

“When I arrived at his office the man tried to kiss and touch me. He asked me how I thought I’d get the job if I refused his advances. He told me I would never get employed if I didn’t sleep with him,” the woman claimed.

It also emerged that an official was refused a transfer after she refused her senior manager’s sexual advances.

“He touches people inappropriately and demanded sexual favours before approving my transfer. I have reported the matter to another senior manager but nothing has happened,” she said.

Another woman told the Dispatch that she was hitchhiking to King William’s Town when she was offered a lift by a man working in Bhisho. He promised her a job if she accepted his advances.

“I’d rather be poor than to put myself and my marriage through that,” she said.

Legislature spokesman Velisile Bukula said: “The legislature has not had any cases of sexual harassment in the past year to date. The institution adopted a policy on sexual harassment and a workshop was conducted to empower officials and members of the provincial legislature on issues pertaining to this.

“The speaker (Noxolo Kiviet) will be meeting sections of the legislature on a listening campaign to get the pulse of the institution with a view to deal with all the issues emanating from interactions with internal stakeholders and roleplayers,” he said.

The Bhisho legislature was rocked earlier this week by the jobs-for-sex scandal after National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) submitted a dossier to Kiviet.

In the document, the union alleges that some senior managers demand sexual favours from interns in exchange for jobs. Kiviet promised to investigate the union’s allegations.

Several government departments have refuted the claims saying no complaint of sexual harassment had been reported in the past year.

According to the department’s annual reports for the 2012-13 financial year, 148 civil servants were dismissed for misconduct. However the reports do not stipulate what individuals were charged with.

Provincial departments told the Dispatch that most had held workshops and awareness campaigns assisted by their labour relations offices for staff to clarify what sexual harassment is.

Only the health department in Cacadu district has reported a sexual harassment case, spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said.

The provincial ANC expressed outrage at the sex-for-jobs allegations.

“We note, with shock, reports detailing alleged incidents of some officials in Bhisho demanding sex in order to employ female interns,” ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane said in a statement.

Mabuyane said they welcomed the decision by Kiviet to look into the matter.

“As the ANC we call on anyone who has been a victim of this to report the incidents so that they can be dealt with by law enforcement agencies,” Mabuyane said.

“We want to make it clear that no one has the right to demand sex from anyone in the workplace, anywhere,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the Living Waters aid organisation, Melanie Goble, said: “We’ve heard about the allegations and it is clear vulnerable women are still being victimised and oppressed.”

Social media was also abuzz with comments on the scandal. Some were critical but others took it as a joke. A majority said the matter was rife in the provincial administration.