Preview Newsletter

Equal Education Monitoring 5/29/2018

Traditional Media Coverage

The complicity of the donor community in NGO malpractices
May 29, 2018 | Daily Maverick
By Carolin Gomulia

Issues of sexual harassment, racism, sexism, discrimination, marginalisation, dehumanisation and corruption are not alien to NPOs. NPOs are microcosms of the societies they operate in, like any other institution or organisation.
Wolves in sheep’s clothing: Sexual harassment in the public interest sector
May 28, 2018 | Daily Maverick
By Basetsana Koitsioe, Amanda Rinquest, Elgene Roos, Thabang Pooe, Thandeka Kathi and Wandisa Phama

Equal Education is not the only organisation that is caught up in allegations of sexual harassment and predatory behaviour in the public interest sector workplace. We are angry that this unacceptable behaviour goes unpunished because people who perpetrate it do ‘good work’.
#WeBelieveThem: Feminist caucus calls for end to ‘culture of silence’ in NGO sector
May 29, 2018 | Mail & Guardian
By Sarah Smit

In the wake of the allegations of sexual misconduct and institutional failure within Equal Education, the NGO Feminist Caucus has come out in solidarity with the women in the sector who have voiced their experiences of sexual assault.
We all have a right to be: Right2Know committed to confronting patriarchy!
May 29, 2018 | PoliticsWeb
By Sinenhlanhla Manqele

The Right2Know Campaign notes with concern the allegations of sexual harassment in Equal Education, alongside the allegations of a cover up and a culture of intimidation that prevented women from speaking out.
Working towards reproductive justice requires safe spaces for women
May 29, 2018 | Mail & Guardian
By Sexual and Reproductive Justice Coalition

In the past weeks, many voices in South Africa have demanded that we focus on what it means to tell our own stories of sexual harassment.
Womxn Are Not Safe, Even In Activist Spaces
May 29, 2018 | The Daily Vox
By Gaopalelwe Phalaetsile

Recent revelations of alleged sexual misconduct at civil organisation Equal Education (EE) by three senior male staff members remind us that organisations and movements driving social change do not guarantee the safety of women.
Equal Education in peace talks with Western Cape school bosses
May 26, 2018 | Times Live
By Dave Chambers

Peace has broken out between Equal Education and the Western Cape schools minister.
Equal Education to Meet WCED Once Sex Harassment Probe Completed
May 29, 2018 | Eyewitness News
By Monique Mortlock

Equal Education will meet with the Western Cape Education MEC once its investigations into sexual harassment allegations against three of its members are complete.
Teacher sick for 1522 days, still lands plum promotion
May 29, 2018 | Independent Online
By Lungani Zungu

...Equal Education is also angry. Mercia Andrew, chairperson of Equal Education, said: “We are outraged by the story of this teacher who has been on sick leave for so many days.”

Traditional Media Coverage

The complicity of the donor community in NGO malpractices

May 29, 2018 | Daily Maverick

By Carolin Gomulia

Issues of sexual harassment, racism, sexism, discrimination, marginalisation, dehumanisation and corruption are not alien to NPOs. NPOs are microcosms of the societies they operate in, like any other institution or organisation.
The recent sexual harassment allegations in Equal Education have been a wakeup call for many individuals and institutions and it seems especially the donor community. Of course, it is never too late to correct one’s course, even though it is sad that survivors had to come forward before something is done. It is certainly right that if people who work on social justice issues for a living inflict harassment on others, that they are dealt with the highest measures of accountability.
Yet, I find the reactionary nature of many of the donors a big concern. There seems to be a lack of acknowledgement that they are part of the systemic issues that provide fertile breeding ground for this to happen.
Donors are the lifeblood of NGOs, which means once a negative story about an organisation breaks, it is very likely that its funding is going to be reduced or withdrawn. NPO workers are very aware of their dependence on donors – every day. This puts a lot of pressure on survivors of sexual harassment, on whistle-blowers and witnesses. If there is a case of sexual harassment in the corporate sector at most the reputation of the business might be tarnished, but it will not have to fear its demise.
Most donors require a host of compliance and due diligence documents before grants are awarded. This is done to cover their bases; I agree that NPO accountability is necessary. However, issues of discrimination, a culture of patriarchy or oppressive practices will not become apparent through documents and paper work.
Issues of sexual harassment, racism, sexism, discrimination, marginalisation, dehumanisation, corruption are not alien to NPOs. NPOs are microcosms of the societies they operate in, like any other institution or organisation. People come to work with their baggage, their attitudes and identities. Donors should know this, acknowledge it within their own institutions and come up with practices, tools and mechanisms to counter this.
In trying to come up with a proactive approach in which to proceed within the current climate South African NPO’s are operating within, I propose the following recommendations for the donor community. Over the last eight years I have been working with a wide variety of different donors. I know that they are not all the same. I am also not suggesting that it is the donor community’s fault if individuals chose to become perpetrators. I know that there are many donors who try to constantly improve their own practices but having been on the receiving end, I know that many donors don’t.
1 Be proactive rather than reactionary. If the alleged events at EE have been a wakeup-call then use that experience to think creatively and not narrowly when reviewing or putting new policies and procedures in place.
2 Do not think donors have the answers. Refrain from acting from a position of power because you have the money. The skewed power relations between donors and NPOs are already reasons for strange practices within NPO spaces. Consider a process of decolonisation of practise as a colleague of mine mentioned after reading this article.
3 Avoid making the list of compliance documents your grantees have to submit longer because of what happened. A piece of paper might enable you to reduce your legal liability but it will do little to prevent sexual harassment or any other forms of malpractices.
4 Ensure that you fund organisations in a way that they can breathe, can focus on their work and that they have time and money for introspection.
5 Get to know the organisation and the people who work there. Ask about how things are done, what the culture is within an organisation. Meet some of the people that actually do the work. Build a relationship.
6 Actively engage topics of racism, patriarchy and dehumanisation within your institutions and in your giving-receiving relationship. Acknowledge that donors are part of the problem.
7 Advocate for and support NPO accountability – not from a punitive point of view but assist the sector to pro-actively put mechanisms of self-regulation and reflection in place.
8 Work with the South African government to talk about NPO registration and how the mushrooming of NPOs can be stopped. Remember Life Esidimeni also happened not only because of government failure but because the NPOs involved were able to emerge easy, fast and with only very few measures of accountability. There are a number of loopholes in the system that need to be addressed.
9 If sexual harassment and other malpractices happen, ensure that the perpetrators and issues are dealt with, fast and decisively. Ensure that the survivors, witnesses and whistle-blowers receive the support they require AND that the rest of the organisation and staff compliment are supported.
10 Last, be part of solutions. Try and think outside the global development paradigm but shift your support towards social transformation. Fund activities that seek to find solutions to the difficult and messy problems that exist.
I hope that this list might spark some debate and a start to some new type of donor and receiver relationship. DM
Carolin Gomulia is the Senior Head for Fundraising, Strategy and Communications at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. She writes in her personal capacity
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-05-28-the-complicity-of-the-donor-community-in-ngo-malpractices/#.Ww1DZUiFPIW

Return to headline | Return to top
Wolves in sheep’s clothing: Sexual harassment in the public interest sector

May 28, 2018 | Daily Maverick

By Basetsana Koitsioe, Amanda Rinquest, Elgene Roos, Thabang Pooe, Thandeka Kathi and Wandisa Phama

Equal Education is not the only organisation that is caught up in allegations of sexual harassment and predatory behaviour in the public interest sector workplace. We are angry that this unacceptable behaviour goes unpunished because people who perpetrate it do ‘good work’.

We have witnessed public outrage over the sexual harassment allegations levelled against three senior male staff members of Equal Education. This has been a very public and harsh reminder of the realities we face in our own spaces.

We are young black women working as human rights lawyers at various organisations in the public interest sector – a sector we are proud to be part of. As members of the sector, we have observed with great concern the lack of responses from public interest law organisations with regards to the Equal Education sexual harassment saga.

We would like to shed light on the insidious forms of sexual harassment in our sector and the impossible position that women, particularly black women, find themselves in as a result. We call on our sector to interrogate the “beyond reproach” disposition and to disabuse themselves of the notion that our sector is somehow immune to sexual harassment, racism and other abuses of power. It is these unchecked exercises of power, in the form of white privilege and patriarchy, that result in the toxic environment being unearthed at Equal Education.

Many of us writing this article have experienced and are survivors of sexual harassment and/or racism in the sector. We are not in denial about the existence of widespread patriarchy and sexual harassment in the sector, however as black women we are unheard and unseen. Could it be that we are simply not considered important enough for our safety and bodily integrity to be considered paramount?

Equal Education is not the only organisation that is caught up in allegations of sexual harassment and predatory behavior in the workplace.

·        In 2017, a prominent public interest law organisation with a national footprint was called on by a number of women to deal with serious allegations of sexual harassment. The senior attorney implicated, despite a finding of guilt by an independent investigation and a recommendation of dismissal as an appropriate sanction, was allowed to resign before the organisation’s Executive Committee made a decision about his continued employment at the organisation. This had the effect of leaving his reputation intact while the complainants remain traumatised by their experience, feeling violated and disappointed by the process. They remain susceptible to further victimisation and reprisal.

·        We have further seen how female interns and new female staff members are propositioned by senior males in organisations. While this may seem innocuous, the power imbalances at the core of these interactions leave young women in a very vulnerable position. This is often brushed off as innocent interaction between peers, however, these relationships are also often predicated on hopes of longer-term appointment or desperation on the part of the intern to acquire a more permanent job in the sector.

·        We have seen how our male counterparts accept sexual favours from volunteers and community members with the unspoken promise of expediting their cases or frequent employment.

·        We’ve seen how young volunteers (some as young as 16) from grassroots organisations, student movements and community formations are preyed on by our colleagues without regard to the power they wield, their age and gender. Male colleagues would openly proposition them, inviting them as if they had the power to say no to those advances. When not the perpetrators, some in management positions turned a blind eye and, when approached, plead ignorance.

·        We have sat in uncomfortable meetings with male supervisors who paid no mind to the substance of the discussion, instead they stared at us, undressing us and blatantly reducing us to sexual conquests, never once making eye contact.

·        We have witnessed how male staff advance for having potential and females, particularly those who are black, are expected to demonstrate excellence and pander to whiteness in order to advance in the sector.

·        We have seen how our organisations have prioritised institutional reputation over individual protection because funders start pulling out at the first sight of danger.

All this has been brought to the attention of leaders in the sector, through various means. The response has been inadequate.

For black women these incidences together with our organisations’ inability to effectively deal with them colour our experience in the sector in an intersectional way. We feel discriminated and violated in ways that often do not fit neatly within the categories of either “racism” or “sexism”. The general failure to recognise the dual effect has resulted in black women’s invisibility and lack of legal recourse.

We ask ourselves – how do we deal with our sector and its contradictions?

But perhaps before we proffer rational or sound approaches to dealing with this, we ought to express our anger.

We are angry at the men who exert the power that sexually violate women in the sector.

We are angry at their friends, men and women, in leadership positions who cover up their behaviour and further marginalise women who come forward and those who are silent about their sexual harassment experiences.

We are angry at the prioritisation of race over gender.

We are angry that sexism is unpunished because people who perpetrate it do “good work”.

We are angry that the predominant choice we are often left with when reporting sexual harassment is to drop cases on which we work and love because our sexual predators also work on them or the odds are against us, with women we trust protecting their male counterparts. Many have felt or continue to feel that the only other choice we have is to leave the sector and/or the organisation.

We are angry that when we do leave, because we have been failed by the sector, we have human rights cases only carved out to be done by mostly white men as if they are the only people who have the ability to care about the plight of poor black people in this country, the plight of our people and that of ours.

We are angry that we leave because social justice organisations, in their attempts to resist transformation, will always find fault with us when we report sexual harassment cases that often intersect with racism.

We are angry for our friends and for ourselves at our contradictions of holding a level of influence to effect change for our clients while we remain susceptible to sexual harassment, racism and abuse in the social justice sector. And sometimes we are even angry at the lack of hope we inspire in those who come after us wanting to do this work, while knowing too well that there is little to shield them from the abuses they will encounter.

Obviously sexual harassment is not unique to the social justice sector. However, it is the hypocrisy of this sector that makes the covering up of sexual harassment cases even more appalling. Not to excuse toxic and corrupt behavior elsewhere, but ours is a sector that will use loudspeakers to call out the toxicity of others with no consciousness to confront demons from within. It is a sector full of people who do social justice work for fulfilment, power or even public affirmation and want to be thanked with our bodies and at the expense of our skins. It is actually reprehensible that the social justice sector has very little culture of accountability for the ills within the sector.

Can our sector take us seriously enough to actually deal with these issues beyond talks at the Public Interest Law Gathering? If we are going to claim any moral position and call others to account for their toxic behavior maybe we should try to do the same.

By “we” we mean white men who dominate the sector, black men who use power over their female counterparts, white women who lead the sector and cover up for their friends who are called out on their behavior, black women who overlook the experiences of those who come after them when they cry for help, and donors who watch in silence and accuse movements such as the Black Workers Forum for destabilising a sector that clearly needs a shift in order to resettle with some integrity in modern-day South Africa.

This moment ultimately calls those invested in the sector; those who believe in its power, and those that value its contribution, to step back, introspect and do better.

Step up and live up to the principles we fight for and believe in.

Start believing women who bring these allegations forward.

Create environments that are conducive and spaces that empower faith in systems.

Punish perpetrators.

We must all be feminists .. .and if you can’t be one, be an ally.
This article is written by civil society lawyers Basetsana Koitsioe, Amanda Rinquest, Elgene Roos, Thabang Pooe, Thandeka Kathi and Wandisa Phama. It is written in their personal capacities.

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-05-28-wolves-in-sheeps-clothing-sexual-harassment-in-the-public-interest-sector/#.Ww1EN0iFPIV

Return to headline | Return to top
#WeBelieveThem: Feminist caucus calls for end to ‘culture of silence’ in NGO sector

May 29, 2018 | Mail & Guardian

By Sarah Smit

In the wake of the allegations of sexual misconduct and institutional failure within Equal Education, the NGO Feminist Caucus has come out in solidarity with the women in the sector who have voiced their experiences of sexual assault.
On Monday, the caucus released a press statement — signed by activists from ActionAid South Africa, Positive Women’s Network and other non-governmental organisations — in support of those victimised within the social justice sector.
The statement comes after details of Equal Education’s institutional failure to address sexual harassment allegations emerged in an investigation published in the Mail & Guardian.
The M&G exposé found that the organisation’s co-founder Doron Isaacs has been repeatedly accused of sexual harassment, and senior figures in the organisation, including prominent activist Zackie Achmat, had been accused of covering his tracks.
Isaacs has since resigned as the organisation’s treasurer and Equal Education has said it is pursuing investigations into the allegations against him, as well as former general secretary Tshepo Motsepe and former head of national organising, Luyolo Mazwembe.
“We applaud the incredible bravery it took for those who have spoken out thus far, especially with the knowledge that we live in a world where those who call out abuse routinely face backlash, intimidation and derision from their abusers and their enablers,” said the statement.
In the statement, the caucus called for a default approach to accusations of sexual assault that places the burden of disproving the allegations on those accused of misconduct.
The feminist collective also noted “with grave concern” the victimisation of the M&G journalist who broke the story, condemning these attempts to maintain a “culture of silence” in the sector.
They added, while they endorse the ideals of due process in investigating these allegations, these procedures often end up ensuring the protection of predators and the punishment of survivors.“For us, the litmus test for the quality of our responses should be if victims/survivors feel that their interests are truly placed at the center of our ‘due processes’,” said the statement. “This should be located within a critical analysis of power relations, to ensure that our interventions are responsive to the dynamic and violent nature of patriarchy, and not reduced to mere tick box exercises to escape management and governance culpability.”
The caucus also condemned the “punitive response” of the Western Cape department of education in the immediate termination of its partnerships with Equal Education.
In a statement released on May 22, Education MEC Debbie Schäfer ordered that the organisation “cease operations” at schools around the province, an act that the caucus said will will have far-reaching for the communities Equal Education works with.
Instead of the punitive approach — which has seen donors suspending funding with the social justice organisation — the caucus has called for a “partnership approach focused on lasting solutions to this systemic crisis”.
The caucus has demanded that organisations, their boards and donors put in place a transparent process to ensure victim-centered processes are followed to ensure that women are protected when speaking out against sexual harassment.
They also called for public apologies and appropriate reparations to be made to the women who may have left these organisations as a result of experiences of institutional failure.
Further, the caucus demanded that the names of those found to be guilty are made public “to prevent the continued circulation of predators in our sector”.
https://mg.co.za/article/2018-05-29-webelievethem-feminist-caucus-calls-for-end-to-culture-of-silence-in-ngo-sector

Return to headline | Return to top
We all have a right to be: Right2Know committed to confronting patriarchy!

May 29, 2018 | PoliticsWeb

By Sinenhlanhla Manqele

The Right2Know Campaign notes with concern the allegations of sexual harassment in Equal Education, alongside the allegations of a cover up and a culture of intimidation that prevented women from speaking out. As R2K, we are heartened by the transparent process adopted by the current EE leadership in addressing these issues.
There is an urgent need to combat patriarchy across all sectors of our society and especially within activist spaces, including the Right2Know Campaign. R2K as an organisation condemns sexual harassment in all its forms, and the oppressive nature of patriarchy. We invite members of R2K to continue to come forward, and raise any concerns they may have about staff or activists who have behaved inappropriately in the organisation. We continue to act vigorously to change the culture of harassment in our homes, workplaces and organisations. Our work on combating patriarchy internally in the organisation has taken a number of forms, including workshops and resolutions from the national summit, the highest decision-making structure of the campaign.
The National Working Group of the R2K has suspended an elected member as a precautionary measure while an allegation of sexual harassment is investigated. We have done this to protect the integrity of the investigation process and everyone involved.
The 2017 R2K Summit resolved that as we strive to be a feminist organisation, we would continue to focus on creating a friendly space for women internally. This work entails engagement with both men and women to understand patriarchy and feminism as well as 'women's only' work. We agreed to continue to work to make R2K a safe space for women and the LGBTIQA+ community through gender sensitising workshops and raising awareness about our sexual harassment policy.
We agreed to invest in leadership development for R2K women to strengthen their voices, but also resolved to do Gender Training with all the incoming NWG and Provincial leadership. We strive to have womxn represent at least 50% of leadership at all levels of decision-making, and resolved to continue to collaborate with other women's organisations and LGBTIQA+ organisations to fulfill our resolutions.
As the campaign, we note with grave concern the number of children, womxn and LGBTIQA+ who have been abused, violated or killed by their intimate partners or men they know. We cannot afford to remain silent while there’s a silent war against children, womxn and LGBTIQA+.
We call on all institutions especially our religious centers and institutions of learning to prioritise gender sensitising curriculum and workshops as the scourge is escalating at that level especially in our universities.
We also call on the justice system to desist from secondary victimising and failing people who come forward to report abuse related cases. We also call on the department of women and children to do more in raising awareness and empowering children, womxn and LGBTIQA+. We must not wait for the 16 days of activism in order to see our government’s commitment in fighting against this scourge.
We demand justice for all survivors and victims of domestic violence, sexual harassment and femicide!
#OngaziMakazi #MeToo #Womxndla #MenMustAct #Right2Life
Issued by Sinenhlanhla Manqele, R2K NWG and Feminist Team Convener, 28 May 2018
http://politicsweb.co.za/politics/we-all-have-a-right-to-be--r2k

Return to headline | Return to top
Working towards reproductive justice requires safe spaces for women

May 29, 2018 | Mail & Guardian

By Sexual and Reproductive Justice Coalition

In the past weeks, many voices in South Africa have demanded that we focus on what it means to tell our own stories of sexual harassment.
How to explain the experience without evoking responses about the lovability of the harasser? How to ask for support, or justice, without being told that their truth has the capacity to annihilate a whole organisation, or a whole nation? How to tell a story that is unique, a story attuned to the complexities of a specific life full of its own strains, joys, secrets and beauty? How to endure what happens after the story is told: the unexpected anger of strangers, being named as a victim, permanently inscribed as shamed or weak, being forgotten, as ‘another’ story of torment is publicly highlighted, distorted, dismissed, or circulated in the interests of anything but the dignity and rights of the storyteller?
The amazing thing is that throughout South Africa’s histories of struggle, women have told their own stories of being sexually harassed by men, especially in the workplace. So vocal were these voices within union organising of the early 1980s that Cosatu, in its 1985 Inaugural Congress, explicitly committed itself to fighting sexual harassment.
Pieces in Speak magazine, in the late 80s and early 90s, bear witness to this. Patricia Khumalo and Miriam Altman initiated the Sexual Harassment Education Project (SHEP), while NETSH (a regional network on sexual harassment in higher education) was active in the 90s. Policies, vocabularies, and the recognition of sexual harassment as a serious form of violence grew.
In the case of Media24 vs Grobler in 2005, the Supreme Court of appeal emphasised that companies or organisations have “vicarious liability” for any sexual harassment experienced by workers within their space. In 2018, women who have been sexually harassed in an NGO should receive a supportive, respectful and effective response.
Last week, we heard Lisa Vetten and Redi Tlhabi engage with Eusebius McKaiser after McKaiser’s interview with Zackie Achmat on his Radio 702 show on May 24.
McKaiser acknowledged that the interview had rattled him.
Achmat’s declaration of love for Doron Isaacs (identified in women’s stories of sexual harassment as an assailant), his refusal to acknowledge the meaning of his own power as a highly influential man, and his use of a survivor’s gang-rape story to impugn her credibility more than rattled some of us. Achmat’s responses to McKaiser’s questions about a 2011 sexual harassment inquiry in Equal Education (EE) and the current slew of allegations against several men in EE were shocking: evasive, superior, and faux-sensitive to the meaning of patriarchy-in-action. It was tough to regain balance after hearing them.
If Achmat’s positions are any indication of what some women in Equal Education and perhaps other NGOs have to experience on a daily basis, the fact that their stories of sexual harassment have been voiced at all is testament to the survivors’ great courage.
Vetten and Tlhabi spoke clearly to issues that what listeners, long-experienced in gender-based violence, might be wrestling with. Vetten carefully reminded us of the complexity of the term ‘consent’ and asked that we return to issues of ethics. Tlhabi explored how contemporary stories of sexual harassment evoke those of our grandmothers, and of the need for solidarity across time and context.
Before hashtags such as #MeToo, there was a political history of struggle. It is important to remember that we stand on the shoulders of our grandmothers. Tlhabi and Vetten were uncompromising about the long history of tolerance for sexual harassment and sexual violence on the left, and within many strands of struggle politics in South Africa (and beyond). Both women asked for conversations which demand ‘unlearning’ all around. McKaiser said he felt sorry for Achmat; no one pointed out the true weirdness of McKaiser’s confession — was it compassion? The suppression of rage? Something more complex?
The discussion also covered bullying, not sexual, but patriarchal. In the moment of being bullied there is the disbelief that it is happening. Following the event, the survivor has to decide whether she has the power to challenge the abuser through the organisation’s processes. She also cannot remove herself from ongoing interaction with the abuser without leaving her job. Women may not speak out because there are school fees and rent to pay, a need for references for future jobs, as well as deep political commitment to the work that is being done.
Sexual harassment and sexual violence are deeply linked to sexual and reproductive justice. It is impossible to imagine reproductive justice without women’s clear ability to make choices and act on them. When women cannot make the choice to complain and be accorded due process in the workplace because they will be exposed to harm and risky processes we are all compromised. Workplaces mirror our messy society and the great inequalities in which we live. Sexual harassment — in schools, workplaces, hospitals, religious institutions and public spaces — severely compromises women’s self-confidence, security and power. Most significantly their power of choice weakens. That’s the point of sexual harassment; as a persistent and systemic culture of violence, it weakens women’s power and place in our society.
The idea of ‘social justice activism’ becomes a lie when its organising spaces are fraught or abusive. Sexual harassment happens a lot. It is as ordinary as paint and comes in as many different shades. If you experience it, it can indeed be an ‘annihilation’, but how those around you treat your story can be just as damaging as the act itself.
However we find it ludicrous to suggest that a story of sexual harassment has the power to ‘annihilate’ people or organisations in which it occurs (as Pearlie Joubert recently suggested could happen to Equal Education). Annihilation is something that happened to Palestinians on the Gaza border a week ago, to Eudy Simelane assassinated by homophobic thugs.
On the contrary, we believe coming out with stories of sexual harassment should have the power to liberate an organisation and to render it more just. The trick is not to respond in a defensive manner but rather to reflect and to listen very carefully to what is being said both about the current moment and crucially its roots. Whether the issue concerns allegations of sexual harassment, racial violence or hate speech, it is in how we respond to the allegations that we are tested, not by the allegations themselves.
The SRJC was born in November 2015 following the exit of Ipas South Africa and the demise of the Sexual and Reproductive Rights Initiative of South Africa (SHARISA). Supported by the National Population Unit (Department of Social Development) two meetings were funded and a virtual organisation was formed.In February 2016 its launched this sign on statement for members to join the Coalition, currently in June 2017 and has over 125 members as individuals or organisations have signed on.
https://mg.co.za/article/2018-05-28-working-towards-reproductive-justice-requires-safe-spaces-for-women

Return to headline | Return to top
Womxn Are Not Safe, Even In Activist Spaces

May 29, 2018 | The Daily Vox

By Gaopalelwe Phalaetsile

Recent revelations of alleged sexual misconduct at civil organisation Equal Education (EE) by three senior male staff members remind us that organisations and movements driving social change do not guarantee the safety of women.
It’s a painful reminder that womxn are faced with daily. While a 16-year-old girl in a rural school, looks at the leadership of Equal Education with hope, that tomorrow her school will have proper infrastructure and sanitation, behind closed doors and in the corridors of the organisation, a staff member is being violated.
But such violence is not new to activist spaces, recently, women and queer people, spoke out against sexual violence perpetrated by male leaders in the Fees Must Fall movement, we saw students mobilise in their numbers demanding free decolonised education, but watched as womxn, mobilised against rape culture in their respective universities on their own.
When Rhodes University students mobilised under the RU Reference list, naming, shaming, and confronting their abusers out of frustration that the institution was not dealing with rape decisively they were accused of character assassinations and trying to ruin the education of these men.
In 2016, womxn in the Economic Freedom Fighters Students Command stood up against sexual and other forms of violence in their own activist space. Gender Activist and former EFFSC leader, Naledi Chirwa said at the time “If you ever thought black men will show up for you when you get violated, think again. They’ll rather disappear until “it” simmers down”.
We can even go further back into our history, womxn who went into exile to fight in the military wing of both the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) and African National Congress (ANC), have come out telling tales of rape in those camps. Sibongile Khumalo, a former Azanian People’s Liberation Army soldier, told the Mail and Guardian, the then PAC President Potlako Leballo raped her and other teen girls in the 1970’s.
These womxn have been accused of attempting to erase the legacies of leaders who were involved in the liberation struggle against apartheid.
The fact that our society is often led by men who mobilise against inequalities and unjust systems yet use their powerful and influential positions in such important spaces to sexually violate women shows us the womxn’s rights issues remain at the bottom.
What Chirwa was highlighting above, is the fact that men in activist spaces can fight against white supremacy but fail to show up when it’s time to fight against sexual violence.
Womxn are often told by male activists to calm down and fight against racial and class inequalities before confronting the source of their own subjugation which is patriarchy.
We have done a lot of work, especially in the wake of #MeToo and #MenAreTrash campaigns in creating awareness, more womxn are coming forward however society needs to meet us halfway and ensure there is zero tolerance against gender-based violence by allowing feminism to shape the policies that uphold our spaces and institutions together.
Feminism calls on men to keep their hands off women until consent is granted, it teaches society that men need to face consequences for their actions and confront their toxic masculinity and that violence against women is not perpetuated by monsters from outer space, but by men of all class, race and gender who have for centuries been given freedom to act in ways that violate us in many different ways.
The mess at EE reminds us that a womxn can be cat called and harassed one her way to work in a T-shirt written “Equal Education for All”, brushes it off and rushes to work, where she is re-traumatised and violated by another man chanting the same words on her T-shirt, and eventually goes home to be harassed and violated by another man, this is the reality we face.
https://www.thedailyvox.co.za/womxn-are-not-safe-even-in-activist-spaces-gaopalelwe-phalaetsile/

Return to headline | Return to top
Equal Education in peace talks with Western Cape school bosses

May 26, 2018 | Times Live

By Dave Chambers

Peace has broken out between Equal Education and the Western Cape schools minister.
Three days after MEC Debbie Schäfer told the NGO to stay away from schools amid a sexual harassment furore‚ at a meeting on Thursday “it was agreed that there should at this stage be no obstacle to Equal Education members continuing to organise in the Western Cape”‚ a statement from the NGO said on Saturday.
In response to revelations that three senior managers at Equal Education had resigned‚ Schäfer said on Monday that while allegations of sexual harassment had been made against managers‚ it was not clear if children were involved.
“I have therefore written to Equal Education requesting that they furnish me with the details regarding every interview or engagement conducted by [the men] so far this year with any female learner in the Western Cape‚” she said.
“I have requested the names of learners‚ the school that these learners attend‚ the date of the interviews and who was present during the interviews. I require this information by this Friday.
“I have also demanded an undertaking ... that they will cease operations in Western Cape schools until such time as we have had an opportunity to meet with them and discuss the way forward. Should we not receive such undertaking‚ we shall instruct our schools not to allow anybody from Equal Education‚ and who is not a learner at the school‚ onto school premises.”
Noncedo Madubedube‚ the head of Equal Education in the Western Cape‚ led a delegation that met Schäfer and education department head Brian Schreuder on Thursday.Education treasurer resigns amid sexual harassment allegationsEqual Education secretary Doron Isaacs – who was facing multiple claims of sexual harassment - resigned from the NGO on Friday.
“We assured [them] that EE has strict sexual harassment policies in place and that EE has acted swiftly to address every sexual harassment allegation that has been put before it‚” the NGO said on Saturday‚ adding that it had launched three separate inquiries:
- One independent panel to look into allegations against former general secretary Tshepo Motshepe;
- Another to investigate sexual harassment claims against former treasurer Doron Isaacs; and
- The organisation’s national council will examine its record of dealing with mistreatment in the workplace‚ as well as policies‚ procedures and organisational culture on harassment‚ and power dynamics.
“We explained to the [education department] officials that the three men who have been accused of sexual harassment played roles in EE in which they had no regular direct interaction with Western Cape learners and‚ as soon as allegations emerged‚ EE’s current leadership ensured that they were prevented from any possible engagement‚” the statement said.
It added that Schäfer had clarified “her initial very broad request” to mean that Equal Education should not engage with pupils on school premises during school hours.
“It was agreed that there should at this stage be no obstacle to Equal Education members continuing to organise in the Western Cape.”
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2018-05-26-equal-education-in-peace-talks-with-western-cape-school-bosses/

Return to headline | Return to top
Equal Education to Meet WCED Once Sex Harassment Probe Completed

May 29, 2018 | Eyewitness News

By Monique Mortlock

Equal Education will meet with the Western Cape Education MEC once its investigations into sexual harassment allegations against three of its members are complete.
The organisation has come to an agreement with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) after meeting with officials.
This comes after MEC Debbie Schafer demanded that Equal Education cease operations in schools in the province, following accusations of sexual misconduct by three senior Equal Education managers. The men have since resigned from their positions.
Schafer's spokesperson Jessica Shelver: "They have agreed to keep us informed of the findings and we will meet again once the investigations are concluded. We wish to remind our learners that any abuse that suffered under any abuse they suffer at schools from any party can be reported to the Safe Schools hotline on 0800 45 46 47."
Equal Education's Noncedo Madubedube says this matter has been a major learning curve for the entire organisation.
"To allow us to start thinking positively and deliberately around the politics that we've inherited and taken on as a movement, to looking at how, even if we've got policies in place, how do we reinforce and make sure that everyone that comes into the movement and works with school learners, believes in the mission."
http://ewn.co.za/2018/05/28/equal-education-to-meet-wced-once-sex-harassment-probe-completed

Return to headline | Return to top
Teacher sick for 1522 days, still lands plum promotion

May 29, 2018 | Independent Online

By Lungani Zungu

PHOENIX teacher found guilty of falsifying a doctor’s certificate in 2015 after being on sick leave for 1522 days over 10 years has bagged a position in the Department of Education’s human resources division.
But even at her new job the former Hopeville Primary teacher, who is known to the Sunday Tribune only as Ms T Naicker, has reported for just two days and has since been on “permanent sick leave”.
This is according to the KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Mthandeni Dlungwane, who recently responded to a query in the provincial legislature about Naicker’s case.
Dlungwane said Naicker was axed after the department conducted an investigation during the tenure of his predecessor, Peggy Nkonyeni.
Naicker appealed against the verdict but her appeal was dismissed in 2016, Dlungwane said in a written reply to a question posed by DA MPL George Mari.
Naicker then applied for medical boarding, but this was also declined by Thandile Risk Management, the consultants for the department.
Instead, the consultants advised the department to explore alternative avenues. It is alleged that two officials in the department recommended that she be deployed to the human resources department.
She reported to her new post “for two days only and subsequently submitted a medical certificate (and) is still on sick leave”, said Dlungwane, who took over the reins of the department from Nkonyeni in 2016. He fired almost 300 teachers last year for an array of transgressions, including absenteeism.
Education Department spokesperson Kwazi Mthethwa said: “We take the issue of absenteeism very seriously. We are not running a tuck shop but a serious department and we don’t want to gamble with the pupils’ future.”
But why the department decided to re-employ Naicker in its human resources department after she was dismissed as a teacher is the burning question.
The department has not yet answered the Sunday Tribune’s queries about when Naicker took up her new human resources post and how long she has been booked off sick.
While employed at Hopeville Primary, Naicker was paid R519420 for the 1522 days she took off. The DA is poised to raise a stink about what it described as “shocking” mismanagement.
“This teacher is essentially employed by the provincial government. Her salary comes from the taxpayers of this province. That they should have to shell out more than half a million rand to someone who clearly has no interest in working is shocking,” he said.
Mari said it was highly irregular for the department to re-employ a person dismissed on serious charges of misconduct.
“Firstly, that a teacher can take so many sick days over so many years is simply incomprehensible. The fact that the department then offered her a job, in a division which monitors issues such as time off is simply laughable,” he said.
Equally worrying, said Mari, was that the pupils had been on the receiving end of Naicker’s absenteeism over 10 years with her spending more time off sick than at work.
“The DA will follow up to establish what contingency measures were put in place during the teacher’s prolonged absence. Most schools operate on tight budgets and one wonders where the extra funds would have come from for a substitute teacher,” said Mari.
Equal Education is also angry.
Mercia Andrew, chairperson of Equal Education, said: “We are outraged by the story of this teacher who has been on sick leave for so many days.”
https://www.iol.co.za/sunday-tribune/news/teacher-sick-for-1522-days-still-lands-plum-promotion-15183571

Return to headline | Return to top

Add recipients

Suggested