Durban - Disgraced ANC chaplain-general the Reverend Vukile Mehana could lose his job as chairperson of the University of KwaZulu-Natal Council after his derogatory comments about women went viral earlier this week.
Civil rights organisation Sonke Gender Justice has called on Mehana, who faces multiple investigations, to step down from all public positions.
The call was made on the eve of the start of the academic year and UKZN said its council was expected to provide “guidance” on the matter at their next meeting.
Mehana made headlines after an audio recording doing the rounds on social media revealed a conversation between him and fellow Methodist church member Raymond Sibanga expressing sexist views about women in the ministry.
In the recording, in Xhosa, the two men agreed that because of their gender, women in the ministry should not be allowed to carry out their duties.
“What type of women goes around fondling male breasts?” Mehana is heard asking as they discuss the enrobing process which takes place during ordination.
Further on Mehana says: “What do the wives have to say when there is this big-breasted woman fondling their husband’s chest?”
He is already facing multiple investigations following his comments. The ANC had to find a replacement for him after he was barred from officiating at the party’s anniversary celebrations planned for Saturday in Durban.
The reverend’s views have also been condemned by the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and the Southern African Council of Churches.
When the Sunday Tribune contacted Mehana, he said he could not comment immediately. “I am not allowed to do so until the church process is over,” he said.
Mehana released an apology on Twitter following the outcry, but by then the damage had been done.
Sonke Gender Justice’s senior strategic adviser, Bafana Khumalo, said: “We were appalled by the reckless statement from someone of his stature.”
His organisation has already lodged a complaint with the Commission for Gender Equality. The commission’s spokesperson, Javu Baloyi, said sexist and patriarchal utterances were not new and EFF leader Julius Malema was once fined R50 000 for making sexist statements about Khwezi, the woman who had accused former President Jacob Zuma of rape.