SDM senior official caught on video seemingly assaulting a woman in public

GROBLERSDAL – Sekhukhune District Municipality (SDM) said it has learnt with disgust about a video on social media, in which a female is being harassed, insulted seemingly assaulted by a male employee of the district municipality.

The district municipality said even though the incident happened outside the workplace, and that the victim was not an employee of the municipality, it still did not take kindly to it.

In a statement released on 26 April, Moloko Moloto, SDM Communications Manager, said first, they confirmed that the male who is captured in the video was indeed a senior official who recently acted as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the district municipality.

Moloto said second, the district municipality was disgusted and disappointed that one of its officials perpetuated Gender-Based Violence, a social ill that has become an intolerable painful affliction in the country.

He said the district municipality has held campaigns against Gender-Based Violence and that the Executive Mayor Stanley Ramaila repeatedly encouraged victims of GBV to speak out. Therefore, the municipality commended the victim for speaking out.

The district municipality said while the victim indicated on social media that she had lodged a formal complaint with the South African Police Service (SAPS), a decision the municipality applauded, the municipality would, as the employer, get to the bottom of that matter, with a view of taking appropriate action.

The district municipality said the complainant was urged to get in touch with the municipality to assist with internal investigations.

Last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the scourge of Gender-Based Violence a second pandemic which all South Africans must fight against.

The district municipality concluded that it would tolerate any conduct that sought to undermine efforts to rid the society of gender based violence.