Durban - An aspiring actress and former Lotus-FM traffic reporter who was fired after sexually explicit videos of her were leaked on WhatsApp is fighting back - both against the SABC and the man who allegedly leaked the videos.
Mishka Gounden is taking the SABC to the high court after she lost her job at Lotus-FM on July 16 and will next week institute a R1.5 million damages suit against popular radio jock, Fahim Jamadar for defamation.
According to City Press, 24-year-old Gounden discovered in June that sexy videos she’d taken of herself and sent, she says, only to the popular radio jock and a former colleague she had a bit of a crush on, Jamadar, had surfaced on WhatsApp and were spreading like wildfire through Durban’s conservative Indian community.
The Sunday newspaper reported that shortly after hearing about the videos Gounden slashed her wrists in despair.
She had risen through the ranks of online station Megazone Bollywood to join SA's biggest Indian radio station and had just months shortly before had been cast as party girl Mira on the e.tv drama Imbewu
City Press reported that Jamadar asked her to send the videos in 2016 when it seemed they were developing a romance. She didn’t know, she says, he was married with children and blames herself for acting foolishly. She says the videos have all but destroyed her good name.
"I can't apply for jobs because people think I'm a skank or slut who sends videos to all sort of people...It's only now I've started becoming confident walking out in public. If I had to go an Indian place people would look at me and... ask if I'm the sex video girl," she said.
Gounden has retained a lawyer, Yugan Naidu, who is taking the SABC to the high court for dismissing her.
Naidu said the station did not hold a formal hearing or serve a letter notifying Gounden she had breached her freelance contract before terminating it for bringing the SABC into disrepute.
Gounden has also obtained an interim protection order against Jamadar and has opened a case of crimen injuria, accusing him of leaking the private videos.
Jamadar strongly denied her claims, both in his answering affidavit and to City Press.
He accused his former friend Santosh Beharie of conspiring with Gounden. Beharie was programme manager at Lotus FM for a decade until, also in July, his contract was not renewed. He is taking the SABC to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.
Said Jamadar: “It has become more than evident that Ms Gounden and her rumoured boyfriend Santosh Beharie have conspired against me. She sent out these videos to numerous people sometime in 2016/2017, who have since come forward and confirmed this. However, without any evidence at all, [she] has accused me of making the videos viral now after Beharie lost his job. It is no mere coincidence that these allegations were lodged when Beharie’s contract was not renewed and there was talk about me filling the position.”
Beharie refuted Jamadar's allegations to City Press.
"Mr Jamadar is delusional ... He is still intent on dragging my name down with him instead of making amends. He has made Ms Gounden suffer enough and now wants to exacerbate her pain and suffering by publicly lying that I am her rumoured boyfriend, conspiring with her against him ... It was he who, together with the online rag Indian Spice, created the narrative that Ms Gounden leaked the videos to me to secure a job at Lotus FM," Beharie said.
SABC spokespersons Neo Momodu said: “The SABC has noted with concern the allegations and the corporation takes [them] very seriously. The SABC is currently conducting a forensic investigation on various allegations at Lotus FM and the outcomes of the investigation will shed light on the veracity of the claims made and provide recommendations to management.
“It is public knowledge the SABC instituted a high-level commission of inquiry into sexual harassment, headed by an independent commissioner, urging aggrieved parties to approach the commission.
The current work of the commission will be concluded following the closing date for submissions on October 31.
“Management is aware of the challenges that Lotus FM is facing and necessary steps are being taken to ensure stability.”