University of Witwatersrand, dismissed two staffs over sexual harassment

University of the Witwatersrand

The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, has just dismissed two employees who have been found guilty of sexual harassment.

The hearings were chaired by independent senior counsel, and the outcomes were handed to the University today, Wednesday, 31 July 2013.

The staff members have been found guilty of sexual harassment and misconduct, and one of them has also been found guilty of sexual/indecent assault. Both staff members have also been found to be in breach of the University’s Sexual Harassment Policy, Relationship Guidelines and the University’s Code of Conduct.

The University publicly apologises to the students who were harassed in any way. It further reaffirms that it will not tolerate any form of sexual harassment on its campuses.

There are two cases still running at the moment, and the University will announce the outcomes of these two cases in the next few weeks, as the outcomes become available.

The second campus-wide inquiry into sexual harassment led by the Head of the Centre of Applied Legal Studies, Professor Bonita Meyersfeld and Joe Mothibi from Norton Rose Fulbright is expected to be completed in the next two weeks. The objective of this second inquiry is to conduct an assessment of the existing policies and procedures of the University, for the purpose of preventing instances of sexual harassment.