ACTIVIST and film director Zackie Achmat has hit back at media reports suggesting that he covered up sexual harassment allegations against Equal Education co-founder, Doron Isaacs.
The Mail and Guardian reported yesterday that Isaacs had repeatedly been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women - including the organisation’s staffers - over the past decade, and that management within Equal Education, including Achmat, had covered this up.
In a response on Facebook yesterday, Achmat denied the claims and said he was willing to co-operate with any inquiry into such conduct.
“The media has a duty to scrutinise the conduct of any person in power and I welcome any such opportunity I have worked to resist the daily violence inflicted on women by men. I have come to recognise with the assistance of women comrades the deep patriarchal culture that exists within myself, organisations, especially progressive movements, and our society at large.
“When a survivor has approached me with any allegation of such abuse I have offered support and tried to ensure justice is served. I have always encouraged anyone with knowledge or allegations of harassment to file formal complaints and have at all times tried to ensure that the privacy of complainants is respected,” the post read.
He said he understood how difficult it was for many survivors of sexual abuse or harassment to come forward.
“As leaders within movements, we have a duty to ensure that spaces are created for women to feel safe to speak about any unwelcome advance, uncomfortable flirtation and abuse of male power. It has become clear much more needs to be done about sexual misconduct and I accept full responsibility for not doing enough,” he wrote.
However, he denied specific allegations that he had been approached by a woman sexually harassed by Isaacs.
“It would be an act of violence against any complainant of sexual misconduct to suggest ‘she asked for it’.
“Anyone who knows me will realise that this is something I would never do. I was aware of rumours addressed to me by four friends, but no formal complaints were made by them or by survivors of sexual misconduct,” he wrote.
Attempts to contact Isaacs yesterday afternoon for comment were unsuccessful, but in the Mail and Guardian piece he denied the claims and said while he had engaged in erotic online chats with women in the past, he had never done so with Equal Education staff members.
“If ever a woman had expressed the slightest discomfort I would have immediately apologised and ceased,” he reportedly said.
On Monday, general secretary Tshepo Motsepe resigned. This after he too was accused of sexual harassment, even though he has denied the claims.