Durban - Of the four major political parties, only the DA has a sexual harassment policy. The ANC said it did not have such a policy, but was drafting one in view of the allegations against its spokespersons Zizi Kodwa and Pule Mabe.
The IFP did not have one and the EFF could not provide one when asked to do so.
The DA’s sexual harassment policy applies to members, staff, public representatives and non-DA members who lodge complaints of sexual harassment in workplaces and “within the DA community”.
The policy said once substantial evidence of sexual harassment had been determined, the complaint would be treated as a “disciplinary matter in terms of the existing disciplinary processes”.
The EFF claimed to have a sexual harassment policy, but failed to disclose it.
EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said he would e-mail it to the Sunday Tribune, but did not. He later did not respond to phone calls and messages and neither did national communications manager Sixolise Gcilishe.
IFP national spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said his party did not have one in place. “But we recognise the importance of having such a policy. We have asked our labour law experts and our spokesperson on women’s issues to come up with a draft policy soonest,” he said.
Acting ANC spokesperson Dakota Legoete said the party had drafted a sexual harassment policy.
“We have taken it to the Commission on Gender Equality for a quality audit,” he said.
Researcher and gender violence specialist Lisa Vetten said without a sexual harassment policy in place, it was guaranteed there would be no reports of such violations.
In 2017, Vetten was at the fore of the #NotOurLeaders campaign. It focused each day of the 16 Days of Activism To End Violence Against Women campaign on highlighting a case in which a political representative was accused of sexual assault.
“In 2018, we sent requests to political representatives, provincial legislatures and Parliament querying whether they have sexual harassment policies. The non-responses only proved our point of the weaknesses in the system,” she said.
In 1988, the Department of Labour published the Code of Good Practice on the Handling of Sexual Harassment Cases. It states: “As a first step in expressing concern and commitment to dealing with the problem of sexual harassment, employers should issue a policy statement.”
Vetten said: “Political and government structures are workplaces. Those who work there cannot have fewer legal protections than other workers, any more than some harassers can enjoy greater impunity than others, so policies must be in place.
“The absence of a policy makes it very difficult for women to report harassment. “Political and government structures have power over our lives, there is thus an obligation to exercise it fairly including in relation to those they work with.
“Can they be trusted to make fair decisions regarding their female citizenry if they do not take the time to ensure their working environments are supportive of women?”