… while “ignoring” her sexual harassment case
Mathatisi Sebusi
THE Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO) has fired its Public Relations Manager, Lineo Moqasa, for allegedly occupying a parking lot reserved for her immediate supervisor, CEO Thelejane Thelejane.
But Ms Moqasa insists she has been victimised after reporting a sexual harassment case against Mr Thelejane.
The firing also happened amid claims the water utility had agreed to seek an amicable out of court settlement with Ms Moqasa.
Ms Moqasa’s lawyer, Advocate Mamosa Mohlabula-Nokana, said the two sides had agreed before the Labour Court on 8 January 2024 to reach an out of court settlement which would see the parking squabble squashed and Ms Moqasa moved to different office premises.
However, WASCO had gone ahead and fired Ms Moqasa through a letter dated 26 January 2024 after a disciplinary hearing she had refused to attend.
Adv Mohlabula-Nokana told the Lesotho Times yesterday WASCO had refused to sign the proposed out of court settlement and gone ahead with a disciplinary hearing and fired her client while ignoring her sexual harassment complaint.
Ms Moqasa had in November lodged the sexual harassment complaint to the WASCO Board of Directors and to Minister of Natural Resources, Mohlomi Moleko.
Immediately after reporting her CEO, Ms Moqasa was suspended from work by the board’s chairperson, Sekete Phohlo. The explanation given for the suspension was that it was imperative that any contact between the complainant and Mr Thelejane be severed pending the outcome of investigations into the sexual harassment report.
Adv Mohlabula-Nokana said nothing had been done hitherto about the sexual harassment case while WASCO had moved swiftly to fire Ms Moqasa after a disciplinary hearing on the 26th January 2024.
She had declined to attend the hearing because of the proposed settlement proposal and the fact that case was still pending case in the Labour Court.
Ms Moqasa, who has served WASCO for 17 years, told the Lesotho Times she was shocked she had been dismissed over a parking dispute with Mr Thelejane yet her sexual harassment case had been ignored.
She insisted she was only being victimised for raising the sexual harassment case against Mr Thelejane.
She insisted that after rejecting Mr Thelejane’s “numerous sexual advances”, he had started harassing her at work, going as far as taking over her parking bay by force.
Mr Moleko had instructed the WASCO Board to investigate the sexual harassment complaint and provide a report to his office by 1 December 2023.
Advocate Mohlabula-Nokana said to date, no such report had been given. WASCO’s interest was only on dismissing her client.
She said the police had said they were still investigating the matter.
Contacted for comment this week, Minister of Natural Resources Mohlomi Moleko told the Lesotho Times that they were yet to meet to address the matter. He would only respond once a decision had been reached.
