Fired executive loses her appeal

AN ABSA executive who was fired after she called management “old white men” has failed in a high court bid to prove she was unfairly dismissed.

Shirley Simmadari‚ former head of sales at Absa Corporate and Investment Bank‚ also claimed she had been racially victimised‚ but Cape Town Labour Court Judge Anton Steenkamp said she had failed to prove this.

Simmadari‚ 60‚ from Johannesburg‚ was fired for gross misconduct. In his judgment‚ Steenkamp said she had harassed and bullied subordinates.

“For example‚ she referred to individuals as ‘monkeys’‚ handed out . . . gifts of a sexual nature and threatened their jobs.”

She also made racist‚ ageist and other inappropriate comments‚ Steenkamp said. “She referred to management as ‘old white men who do not know what they’re doing’ and ‘oxygen thieves’ . . . and made comments about ‘boere’.”

Simmadari claimed she had been “targeted for dismissal through artificial changes because of her race . . . and treated differently through victimisation and harassment . . . due to the fact that she was a black spearheading transformation”.

Steenkamp said: “She has not established that she was dismissed on the grounds of her race rather than for misconduct; and she has not shown that she was treated differently because of her race‚ gender or conscience.”

He ordered Simmadari to pay Absa’s costs.