Cape Town - Axed SANParks chief executive Fundisile Mketeni says he will fight his dismissal from the top job.
Mketeni was fired earlier this month after allegations of assault and sexual harassment were levelled against him, and a probe by SANParks found him guilty of six of seven charges.
A woman had lodged a complaint against him in May last year, alleging that he had touched her inappropriately and when she refused his advances, he had insulted her and assaulted her.
Mketeni and his co-accused were prosecuted and were found not guilty of the offence in the Bushbuckridge Magistrate’s Court last year.
SANParks however said the decision by its Board to dismiss him was based on him being found guilty of six of the seven charges levelled against him.
“The former CEO'S matter was ventilated thoroughly in a process that entailed several appearances by both himself, his witnesses and employers,” SANParks said.
“Through this protracted process spanning many months, SANParks is confident that it dealt with the matter with the utmost transparency and in the interests of justice for all. We need to remind all interested stakeholders that the former CEO was found guilty by an independent chair of 6 out of 7 charges,” SANParks said.
Mketeni on Wednesday charged that the allegations were part of a ploy to get rid of him.
“After my acquittal in the criminal court, I embarked on a civil claim, which shall be heard in Mpumalanga Division of the High Court in no time to claim full compensation as a result of the defamation and character assassination of my standing both in society and the sector I represented for almost all my life.
“As a consequence, the allegation of assault and sexual harassment are very serious in our country and abroad, and same is demonstrable by the surge in the number GBV cases in the country, therefore I am determined to clear my name before an independent arbiter in the form of the CCMA.
“I must say that I am father of three girls and I take pride in raising them not being defined as the GBV perpetrator and as such I would not allow my girl children to not be subjected to GBV. That is how much I take this case seriously,” he said.
DA member of Parliament’s portfolio committee for the environment, fisheries and forestry Annerie Weber said the Labour Appeal Court made it clear that sexual harassment was a scourge in the workplace and that employers had a duty to make the workplace safe.
“The DA condemns the behaviour of Mr Mketeni and congratulates SANParks on dealing with the very serious issue of GBV in the workplace. The DA will never condone GBV under any circumstances and reiterates its call for perpetrators to be held accountable,” she said.
Cape Times