Sexual abuse rife at SABC

In one of the shocking revelations to emerge from the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) commission of inquiry into sexual harassment, a married couple who both worked for the corporation were forced to resign due to continued sexual harassment of the wife by her manager.

So intense and consistent was the sexual harassment that the couple – who suffered psychological trauma – went from a normal middle-class family life to abject poverty after quitting their jobs.

Presenting the commission’s findings and recommendations yesterday at the SABC Auckland Park headquarters, commission chairperson Barbara Watson said the corporation had come “from a very dark place and is hopefully moving towards the light”.

“If one looks at what happened to the couple that worked here at the SABC, sexual harassment may look like a minor crime, but its impact is huge and lasting.

“The SABC brand has suffered a lot of damage. One former employee described it as a brothel run by prostitutes,” said Watson.

The independent commission, led by Watson and assisted by former Commission for Gender Equality chairperson, Mfanazelwe Shozi, was established four months ago to probe the scourge of sexual harassment at the SABC.

The inquiry, which conducted hearings in premises situated outside the SABC, to protect the identities of those testifying, heard chilling stories from several victims around the country.

It recently presented its final report to the SABC board, which has instructed its executive management committee to implement the commission recommendations “with immediate effect”.

“Sexual harassment is not a biological problem but about power control. In the case of the SABC, this phenomenon has been about an ongoing relentless demand of sexual favours by senior supervisors from juniors – most of whom were freelancers,” said Watson.

The commission said most individuals affected worked in the radio division of the SABC, with KwaZulu-Natal’s Lotus FM and Channel Africa being the most affected. No incidents were reported in the Western Cape.

At the core of the sexual harassment incidents were special favours, job offers, sex and money.

“There was also an instance when a manager took an employee to Mauritius at a time when a job was advertised. Upon returning from the trip, the junior employee told the whole world that the job was hers. A week later she was appointed to the position, with lower qualifications than others who applied,” explained Shozi.

“The focus for us now is to do what is right and not to paper over cracks, by dealing with sexual harassment in an unflinching manner for the sake of our employees,” said SABC group chief executive officer Madoda Mxakwe.