Staff reporter
Bloemfontein – The Department of Health in Free State is again in the spotlight this time around not over purported purging or service delivery but the silence over alleged sexual harassment.
This is as staff at Bongani Regional Hospital, in Welkom accuse the provincial headquarters of shielding a union leader accused of sexual harassment who returned to work after the suspension lapsed without charging.
Sources with intimate knowledge say one of the reasons Dr Noge, the hospital CEO is targeted is because of pressure from the provincial head office to drop the charges as the alleged perpetrator is a senior unionist.
Another source said Dr. Noge was served with a letter of intent to suspend over 2018 charges that were dropped on Wednesday.
“Dr Noge who is on leave was served with a letter today (Wednesday) over 2018 charges that were dropped because there was no evidence.
This is because she is charging the union leader who is close to the political head of the department and worse, the MEC should not be interfering with disputes or be seen as she is the appeal authority.”
Our source said this letter was served by Advocate Moshodi who is a director for Fraud instead of Labour.
“To show how this is strange, the letter was served by Advocate Moshodi instead of the Labour Director because he was going to tell the provincial office they don’t have a case.”
Another source said the DENOSA leader copied the MEC in an email meaning she is directly involved and the plan is to suspend Dr Noge and appoint someone who will drop charges.
“The accused sent an email to HoD, Godfrey Mahlatsi, and copied the MEc, Mathabo Leeto, as the plan is to push Dr. Noge out through suspension and appoint someone who will drop charges.
Asked why the department is hellbent on protecting a male and victimizing females in both the victim of abuse and CEO our source said it all boils down to politics.
“Unions run these institutions and our MEC has ambitions to be the chairperson of ANCWL in the province and nationally, so the unions have numbers. It is sad that individual interests overshadow departmental objectives.
Sexual harassment takes away your dignity and, sadly, women are not protected.”
For a department that daily deals with women who are abused, yet fails to protect its own, it’s disheartening.
Mondli Mvambi, spokesperson for the Department of Health didn’t respond to our questions.
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Interesting…When her clinical manager mkatsane assaulted a female dr, as a CEO who ‘apparently cares about women’- what did she do about it?