A senior female officer who laid the complaint of sexual harassment against a metro police officer now lives in fear.
|||After being dismissed earlier this year for sexual harassment a metro police officer returned to work this week, much to the shock of the senior female officer who laid the complaint.
The junior officer is one of six officers who have been accused by their colleagues of sexual harassment in as many months.
His reinstatement has angered the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu), which has accused the appeal officer, Superintendent Rajen Chin – who ruled in favour of the male constable - of favouritism.
The 28-year-old officer was dismissed in April after he was found guilty of sexually harassing Senior Constable Naidoo, who asked for her first name not to be disclosed.
After months of appealing against the ruling, the officer was reinstated this week, without Naidoo being informed of the decision.
“I only found out when one of the officers told me he was back at work,” said Naidoo. “I’ve lost all trust in management because I feel like I’m not being protected,” she said.
Naidoo said the two were working the late shift at the Albert Park station in June last year during the Top Gear festival. While standing at her work desk, Naidoo said the constable came behind her and groped her. “It caught me by surprise,” she said, adding that she felt violated.
Naidoo reported the incident to her superior within minutes, but she said the officer tried to downplay the incident. “He just laughed about it and carried on like nothing had happened.”
Naidoo, who has been in the force for 15 years, said despite the delays in setting a hearing date, she decided to pursue the case.
“There was victimisation from the officer and even some members of management, but I didn’t want to let it slide like nothing had happened.
“Often women think that so long as he didn’t harm me, then you don’t have to take any action. But that’s how violence and abuse against women begins,” said the mother of one.
The case was finally heard five months after the incident.
“I had to work with him during that time and he used to constantly threaten me,” said Naidoo, who ended up not going to work because of the alleged intimidation.
The officer was eventually removed from the station and subsequently dismissed in April after being found guilty.
“Imagine my shock when I found out this week that he’s back at work,” she said in disbelief.
Naidoo questioned why she had not been notified of the appeal process.
Metro police spokesman Senior Superintendent Eugene Msomi said Chin had concluded that there was not enough evidence to convict the constable. “Hence the setting aside of the decision and sentence,” he said.
Msomi said the officer had been moved from the Albert Park police station to the beachfront.
Naidoo said the fact that the officer was now stationed at another police station didn’t change her disappointment with management.
“It was such an emotionally draining process and to just hear that’s he’s been reinstated after a one-day appeal, is really disappointing,” she said.
Msomi said six cases of sexual harassment had been reported by officers since the beginning of the year.
Only two officers had been found guilty and dismissed.
Lindani Sicwala, a metro officer and chairman of Samwu, claimed the officer was reinstated because of his close relationship with Chin.
Chin, a close ally of beleaguered Metro police head Eugene Nzama, was placed on special leave last year and redeployed after Samwu members called for his suspension, accusing him of lacking the academic qualifications required for his position.
However, Chin, the head of specialised units, came out guns blazing, saying the attack on his credibility as a suitable candidate for the job was unfounded as he had all the necessary qualifications.
He returned to his post in November. - Independent on Saturday