Durban – An eThekwini Metro Police official has been punished with a 10-day suspension after he reportedly implied that female staff either pay bribes or engage in sexual favours to advance their careers.
It is alleged that in February 2020, Senior Superintendent Aubrey Phumelele Mthethwa sent an email to senior staffers questioning the criteria used to award responsibility allowances.
"We have many deserving and qualifying individuals who have been sidelined for years yet others have had an opportunity to assume these responsibilities with respective allowances more than once.
“If such a decision is left with one individual, it may lead to abuse and can only give credence to the theory that members pay money or give sexual favours to get these responsibility allowances," he said in the email, which had allegedly been sent to more than 50 council employees.
The matter was reported to the SA Municipal Workers Union and later the Commission for Gender Equality.
SAMWU described Mthethwa's comments as harmful.
"Some of the complainants are married and if this gets to their spouses, possibility of the comments made by (Mthethwa) may endanger their lives, including people acting on responsibility allowances, or those appointed as the recipients of the responsibility allowance," said SAMWU's Sithonga Mlunda.
The necessary steps have been instituted against Mthethwa and he was found guilty. He was issued a 10-day suspension.
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