Cape Town - The fireman who had been dismissed from his duties at the Overstrand Municipality for a Facebook post he made in 2022, has been vindicated.
Mandilakhe Kweta, 34, from Kleinmond was a breadwinner for his parents but found himself without a job after making a Facebook post regarding violence against woman.
In the post Kweta explained that he wanted to know why the emphasis is always on stopping violence against women, when there are kids and men suffering as well.
Facebook users then took the post and reported it to Kweta’s employer, citing violence against women.
He was dismissed. Kweta however said this was never the case and for that reason decided to not leave the matter as is.
“I was meaning that all lives matter, I would never speak down on women nor their safety.”
Kweta said he was then approached by the municipal manager with a settlement offer to have his name removed from the dismissal list and also provide him with unemployment documents.
“When they said that I experienced mixed emotions, I asked myself why I posted it. I wish I didn't, I regret it. There was really no ill intention.
“I questioned if it was just the wrong timing? Maybe I had to explain myself more in depth.
“I would still want to be a fireman but the trauma is a lot, but I really loved what I did.”
In the settlement seen by the Weekend Argus, the Overstand Municipality agreed to remove the dismissal from the applicant's record.
The settlement further confirmed that the applicant's employment came to an end due to the expiry of the fixed contract and that the respondent will further issue a UI-19 confirming the end of contract.
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