CAPE TOWN - Gender -based violence (GBV) activist June Dolley Major has vowed to sleep outside the office of the Clicks Group in Woodstock until someone receives her memorandum calling for the company to stop doing business with Heart FM until a senior manager embroiled in a sexual harassment allegation is removed from their employ.
But the Clicks Groups said they had no current marketing campaigns on Heart FM.
“Clicks has no current marketing campaigns on Heart FM. The last Clicks advertisements on the station were aired on January 21, 2022. Clicks Group does not condone violence against women. Clicks Group realises the terrible impact that GBV has on particularly women in our society. Clicks Group conducts various programmes to raise awareness of GBV issues and to encourage people to speak out when they are aware of domestic abuse or GBV in their families or communities and also provides access to support measures for employees who are victims of GBV,” said Clicks head of marketing, Melanie van Rooy.
The employee had lodged four formal grievances against the manager, relating to “sexual harassment, discrimination on the basis of gender and sexual orientation, as well as the negligent or intentional endangerment of myself and other staff members amid the Covid pandemic”, according to CCMA documents seen by the Cape Times.
In support of the complainant, Dolley Major who had also been subjected to a gag order, and started the “Say His Name” campaign, arrived at the company’s premises yesterday morning where she sat outside waiting for someone to engage with her and receive her memorandum.
“We know a member of the LGBTQ community was a victim of sexual harassment at Heart FM. We wish to highlight that social stigma prevents sexual assault incidents, such as corrective rape and homophobic and transphobic harassment, from being reported. The purpose of this memorandum (is) to hold Clicks accountable for their lack of response and action with regards to Heart 104.9 FM keeping in their employ a manager who was accused of both bullying and sexual harassment.
“We criticise Clicks’ failure to act. They do, however, now have this opportunity to rectify their wrongs. We call on Clicks to withdraw their funding from Heart 104.9 FM whether it’s ads now or in the near future until the accused is removed from their employ.
“The survivor’s voice was silenced in the form of a gagging order, we choose to be her voice.”
Dolly Major said Clicks did not engage her or the two accompanying activists at all during the day and instead sent a security guard to show them a copy of the response sent to questions by the Cape Times.
“That is not enough. We want to be respected, at least come in person and receive our memorandum. We will sleep outside this building until we are acknowledged and engaged,” Dolley Major said.
She said they wanted a response to the memorandum by February 21.
Meanwhile Heart FM said the matter was taken seriously and they responded promptly when it was first reported.
Heart FM station manager Renee Redelinghuys said: “When the internal sexual harassment grievance was raised we responded promptly as we view such allegations as extremely serious. Our internal and independent external investigations could not be concluded for lack of supporting evidence. Claims subsequently reported suggesting that the former employee was made to sign a non-disclosure agreement relating to her sexual harassment claim are disingenuous.
“The non-disclosure agreement relates to three separate disciplinary charges brought against the employee. The parties elected to conclude a settlement agreement under the auspices of a commissioner of the CCMA to avoid a disciplinary enquiry against her from proceeding. It’s a standard term of settlement agreements to include a confidentiality clause in these agreements. The ex-employee was not forced or coerced into signing the agreement as she had legal representation when the settlement agreement was negotiated and signed.”
Cape Times