Employee assault claims unresolved for 7 months

A BHISHO government official who opened an internal case of alleged physical assault against her boss at cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) headquarters last year, says she is still working under “emotional trauma”.

Corporate secretariat personal assistant Busisiwe Heka’s plea to be moved from her unit where she feels victimised, have fallen on deaf ears for seven months.

Heka claims she was assaulted at the workplace by senior Cogta official Mzwakhe Gomomo early last year, and that she has now been sidelined and sitting idle in her office

Gomomo would not comment on the alleged incident and Heka’s plea for a transfer, saying he was not authorised to speak to the media.

“This is something that happened at work and the department is dealing with that,” he told the Dispatch yesterday.

“Therefore I cannot comment on it as I am not authorised to do so. The only person who can respond to you is the acting head of department [Monwabisi Baza],” said Gomomo.

Departmental spokesman Mamnkeli Ngam yesterday said they were aware of the allegations and that necessary steps were being taken.

“We are aware of the assault allegations against Dr Gomomo. Both these matters – the transfer and assault allegations – are receiving the necessary attention from the relevant directorates,” said Ngam.

Correspondence in possession of Daily Dispatch, shows that Heka, has been pleading with authorities to be moved since August.

Last week Heka confirmed she laid an internal assault complaint against Gomomo at the department last year.

In a letter to her bosses dated August 18 2016 and seen by the Dispatch, Heka says she can no longer tolerate working under Gomomo and that if the department failed to move her or take action, she will resort to “external dispute resolution mechanisms”.

“It has been more than 10 days since I submitted my grievance and we have yet to have a sitting and discuss a way forward in this matter.

“I have requested that I be moved from the section as I cannot continue working with the person in question,” wrote Heka.

She further said if her grievance remains unresolved, “I may invoke procedures provided for by the employment legislation and may resort to an external dispute resolution mechanism”.

Heka also wrote to Nehawu’s Cogta branch leadership on October 17 last year, seeking their intervention in the matter.

Nehawu’s Cogta branch chairman Lennox Maho yesterday said the union was aware of the matter and was hoping the department would move with speed to resolve it. —