Sassa Eastern Cape boss suspended over sexual harassment allegations

The Eastern Cape head of the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) Bandile Maqetuka has been suspended over allegations of sexual harassment.

Maqetuka, a regional executive manager at the provincial head offices of Sassa in East London, has been accused of sexual harassment by an employee at the office.

“Upon receiving these allegations, Sassa CEO Ms Totsie Memela took swift action and placed Maqetuka on precautionary suspension.

“Furthermore, Sassa immediately instituted an investigation into the allegations,” said its national spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi.

Letsati said, in addition, a letter was sent to Maqetuka and the complainant notifying them of the investigation.

Maqetuka’s precautionary suspension would ensure there’s no hindrance to the investigation, and a full report would be submitted to Memela once the investigation was completed, said Letsatsi.

Safe

“We are committed to ensuring that all employees feel safe and are treated equally. To this end, the agency has embarked on an internal awareness campaign to educate employees about sexual harassment and what their rights are,” said Memela.

When contacted on Monday, Maqetuka declined to comment, saying he was not authorised by Sassa to speak to the media.

“You must also understand that I have been placed on precautionary suspension so I am not allowed to discuss the matter with anyone including the media due to an ongoing investigation,” said Maqetuka.

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