Non-profit organisation Sonke Gender Justice has dismissed an employee found guilty of violating its policies, following allegations that the employee had sexually assaulted a young woman in the province.
Non-profit organisation Sonke Gender Justice has dismissed an employee found guilty of violating its policies, following allegations that the employee had sexually assaulted a young woman in the province.
The confirmation of the employee’s dismissal comes after the organisation in December last year suspended the individual in light of the allegations.
At the time, Sonke Gender Justice said: “Sonke has noted allegations of one of its staff members, who is alleged to have committed a sexual offence against a young woman in the Western Cape.
“Sonke Gender Justice views this matter in a serious light and has suspended the staff member with immediate effect while it investigates and will ensure that the individual is held accountable for the (alleged) crime.”
Approached for comment on the matter this week, Sonke Gender Justice co-executive director Bafana Khumalo confirmed the staff member was dismissed following an investigation.
“The matter involved was dealt with in terms of our policies. The staff member was suspended, and an investigation carried out.
“A disciplinary hearing was convened in December, and he was found guilty and dismissed,” the director said.
According to Khumalo, “the guardian of the young woman helped her to lay criminal charges with the police”.
“Since (the) victim was under age, we reported the matter to the Department of Social Development as is required by law.
“We have been kept updated by the department on the interventions that it is making.
“The process from the department took a while because they struggled to locate the victim since she had moved from where she stayed and moved to an informal settlement where she is provided support by a member of the community.”
Khumalo added that they remained concerned “by the level of violence generally in that community but even more concerned by violence on women and girls”.
“We all need to redouble our efforts in engaging in community programmes that work with men and boys on the issues of problematic norms that engender toxic masculinities.
“Sonke in collaboration with other civil society partners remains engaged in efforts to achieve positive results in this regard but the challenges are enormous,” said Khumalo.
Provincial social development spokesperson Monique Mortlock said that during the 2023/2024 financial year, 24 388 victims of gender-based violence accessed psychosocial support services.
“We cannot at this stage comment on this matter,” she said.
“Any person who has been a victim of violence or abuse may seek assistance from the Western Cape Department of Social Development in the form of psychosocial support services, such as counselling,” Mortlock said.
Cape Times
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