Mpumalanga health department faces ‘sex for no jobs’ scandal

Two jobseekers have levelled accusations against a department of health official who allegedly had repeated sex escapades with them in exchange for employment at Rob Ferreira Hospital in Mbombela, reports Mpumalanga News.

The official, whose name is known to the publication, is alleged to have sexually exploited Zodwa Thabethe (46) and Thandeka Mathebula (33) at his KaNyamazane home for the past seven years.

To date, the promises of employment he reportedly made towards the two have not been met.

Two weeks ago both Thabethe and Mathebula came to Mpumalanga News’ offices to report the matter. The women presented the newspaper with an SMS containing a death threat. It was seemingly sent after the department launched investigations into the matter and the sender feared being identified during these investigations.

“We will send people to kill you, this is a serious matter,” a translated version of the SMS read.

“He convinced me to sleep with him on several occasions, and I think a number of desperate unemployed women and the youth at large might have been victims like myself. Kuyoze kube nini?” said a worried Thabethe.

A statement from the department accused them of attempting to bribe the official with R3 500.
They, however, denied this. It also stated that they had consented to perform sexual favours for him in order to secure their employment. The department classified the matter as “private”.

When the two women went to the department to inquire about the letter, they were reportedly sent away. Mathebula said they suspected the employees from the official’s office were protecting him, hence they kept chasing them away.

She added that among other things, they still carried audio recordings and an eWallet SMS from the perpetrator as evidence of what had been said.

The department of health’s media liaison officer, Mr Chris Nobela, acknowledged the legitimacy of the letter.

“The department is aware of this matter and has not had other similar cases previously. According to the law, threatening another person is a criminal offence, therefore the victims must report the matter to the police. Once the allegations are reported, the matter will be investigated.

“A report will be compiled. If then the findings confirm possible misconduct on the part of our employee, disciplinary action will be instituted,” he said.