Eastern Cape Hawks provincial head Major-General Nyameko Nogwanya is embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal after two senior staff members in the elite crime-fighting unit accused him of sexually harassing them.
The national Hawks office launched an investigation against the most senior official in the province after Mthatha office investigative unit commander, Colonel Nokuzola Ngxola, 49, and provincial spokeswoman Captain Anelisa Feni, 36, filed sexual harassment complaints against their 48-year-old boss. One of the alleged incidents happened on March 31 last year. It was not immediately clear whether Nogwanya had said or made sexual advances on the two.
While the Police and Prison Civil Rights Union (Popcru) condemn sexual harassment, it said it did not believe Ngxola’s claim.
Nogwanya dismissed the allegations, saying they were part of a broader smear campaign by those who wanted to see the back of him.
Nogwanya said he was surprised when he heard that Feni was one of the complainants, someone he had regarded as a daughter.
He stressed that he had never acted inappropriately towards the spokeswoman.
“She confessed to me that her husband was not giving her conjugal rights for two years and I only asked her how was she surviving then?
“If she thought that constituted sexual harassment then that would be very narrow-minded of her.”
The top cop claimed that it was Feni who had shown interest in him and even frequented his Premier Hotel room three times after hours in March last year. “She would come with press statements for me to clear at night and show too much interest and comfortability around me to an extent of eating my food and drinking my drinks.
“I even had the hotel remove the bar fridge because she was abusing it.”
Nogwanya claimed it was not the first time that Feni had been used to smear a higher ranking official, saying while she was still an admin clerk at the provincial commissioner’s office, she had previously made sexual harassment claims against Lieutenant-Colonel Ernest Sigobe.
“But during an investigation she confessed that she was sent by Brigadier Marinda Mills to make the allegations against the officer. She was later parachuted from that level 5 post to a level 8 police captain post.”
Mills said: “I can confirm that Ms Feni did report to me a number of years back that she was not comfortable with the way in which a male officer interacted with her and that it was of a sexual nature. I advised her to follow the SAPS prescribed procedures in terms of our sexual harassment policy. She was at the time working in Port Elizabeth.”
Sigobe said he was on sick leave and could not talk before dropping the phone.
He did not answer his phone again.
While Nogwanya would not say who was “orchestrating” his downfall, Popcru provincial chairman and Mthatha organised crime unit commander Colonel Loyiso Mdingi alleged that axed national head Berning Ntlemeza, was behind the plot to tarnish Nogwanya’s name.
Nogwanya said he had had a target on his back ever since he disbanded the Hawks task team that had been formed by Ntlemeza.
“That thing was never a task team but was just a political tool used by certain individuals to destroy their political opponents during the conference fever. These two are very small. I won’t entertain them. I want the kingpin,” Nogwanya said.
Mdingi described Ngxola as Ntlemeza’s spy.
Commenting on the allegations against Nogwanya, Mdingi claimed Ngxola was the one who always sexually harassed her male colleagues.
“Ngxola is lying. I am sure of that. I know how Ngxola behaves. She grabs a man by his private parts and says ‘why does it feel like you’re not packing anything’ and calls men ‘love’.
“How do you as a colonel call a man ‘love’ in a professional environment?”
Asked about Feni, Mdingi said: “If Feni alleges that she’s been sexually harassed, we condemn that. I know Feni as just another child. I don’t know her as someone with strange behaviour, unless she has been used. If that’s the case, we won’t get involved.”
Both Ngxola and Feni declined to comment and referred questions to Hawks national spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi.
Ntlemeza was unavailable for comment at the time of writing. He also did not respond to a text messages sent to him.
In a very short e-mailed response, Mulaudzi only said: “Sir matters between employer and employee are private.” — malibongwed@dispatch.co.za
Hawks boss in sex scandal
The national Hawks office launched an investigation against the most senior official in the province after Mthatha office investigative unit commander, Colonel Nokuzola Ngxola, 49, and provincial spokeswoman Captain Anelisa Feni, 36, filed sexual harassment complaints against their 48-year-old boss. One of the alleged incidents happened on March 31 last year. It was not immediately clear whether Nogwanya had said or made sexual advances on the two.
While the Police and Prison Civil Rights Union (Popcru) condemn sexual harassment, it said it did not believe Ngxola’s claim.
Nogwanya dismissed the allegations, saying they were part of a broader smear campaign by those who wanted to see the back of him.
Nogwanya said he was surprised when he heard that Feni was one of the complainants, someone he had regarded as a daughter.
He stressed that he had never acted inappropriately towards the spokeswoman.
“She confessed to me that her husband was not giving her conjugal rights for two years and I only asked her how was she surviving then?
“If she thought that constituted sexual harassment then that would be very narrow-minded of her.”
The top cop claimed that it was Feni who had shown interest in him and even frequented his Premier Hotel room three times after hours in March last year. “She would come with press statements for me to clear at night and show too much interest and comfortability around me to an extent of eating my food and drinking my drinks.
“I even had the hotel remove the bar fridge because she was abusing it.”
Nogwanya claimed it was not the first time that Feni had been used to smear a higher ranking official, saying while she was still an admin clerk at the provincial commissioner’s office, she had previously made sexual harassment claims against Lieutenant-Colonel Ernest Sigobe.
“But during an investigation she confessed that she was sent by Brigadier Marinda Mills to make the allegations against the officer. She was later parachuted from that level 5 post to a level 8 police captain post.”
Mills said: “I can confirm that Ms Feni did report to me a number of years back that she was not comfortable with the way in which a male officer interacted with her and that it was of a sexual nature. I advised her to follow the SAPS prescribed procedures in terms of our sexual harassment policy. She was at the time working in Port Elizabeth.”
Sigobe said he was on sick leave and could not talk before dropping the phone.
He did not answer his phone again.
While Nogwanya would not say who was “orchestrating” his downfall, Popcru provincial chairman and Mthatha organised crime unit commander Colonel Loyiso Mdingi alleged that axed national head Berning Ntlemeza, was behind the plot to tarnish Nogwanya’s name.
Nogwanya said he had had a target on his back ever since he disbanded the Hawks task team that had been formed by Ntlemeza.
“That thing was never a task team but was just a political tool used by certain individuals to destroy their political opponents during the conference fever. These two are very small. I won’t entertain them. I want the kingpin,” Nogwanya said.
Mdingi described Ngxola as Ntlemeza’s spy.
Commenting on the allegations against Nogwanya, Mdingi claimed Ngxola was the one who always sexually harassed her male colleagues.
“Ngxola is lying. I am sure of that. I know how Ngxola behaves. She grabs a man by his private parts and says ‘why does it feel like you’re not packing anything’ and calls men ‘love’.
“How do you as a colonel call a man ‘love’ in a professional environment?”
Asked about Feni, Mdingi said: “If Feni alleges that she’s been sexually harassed, we condemn that. I know Feni as just another child. I don’t know her as someone with strange behaviour, unless she has been used. If that’s the case, we won’t get involved.”
Both Ngxola and Feni declined to comment and referred questions to Hawks national spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi.
Ntlemeza was unavailable for comment at the time of writing. He also did not respond to a text messages sent to him.
In a very short e-mailed response, Mulaudzi only said: “Sir matters between employer and employee are private.” — malibongwed@dispatch.co.za
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