Ndabeni-Abrahams says she wasn’t aware of sexual misconduct allegations against Ntuli

Less than a day after her decision to reverse the appointment of Newyear Ntuli as Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (Usaasa) administrator, Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has come forward to claim that she knew nothing of the allegations that have previously been levelled against him.

The allegations were revealed by Eyewitness News’ investigation into Ntuli’s time working at the South African Post Office (Sapo) and his subsequent resignation.

The publication reports that Ntuli stepped down about four years ago after several junior staff accused him of groping, spanking and offering jobs for sex.

According to the minister, Ntuli’s record only showed that he resigned and did not reflect the allegations, which are also not in the public domain. However, upon finding out about the allegations, Ndabeni-Abrahams said she had to take them into consideration given how serious they are.

The fumble on the part of Ndabeni-Abrahams’ department comes in the wake of the murder of 19-year-old UCT student, Uyinene Mrwetyana, who was murdered and raped by a Post Office employee who had previously been convicted of serious crimes.

The minister promised the ensure that Sapo would conduct thorough employee vetting thereafter but no updates on the implementation of this process have been provided thus far.

According to EWN, the Post Office declined to provide details surrounding Ntuli’s departure.

Update:

Speaking to the publication on Thursday, Ntuli said he was seeking legal advice on the allegations of sexual misconduct made by Post Office staff against him.

While he would not comment on said allegations at this stage, he stated that he accepts the minister’s decision and stresses the point that he resigned from the Post Office and that he wasn’t dismissed.

(Compiled by Kaunda Selisho) 

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