After being wrongly accused of assaulting the male acting principal at Diepkloof Community College of Education and Training by a fellow teacher, the Soweto teacher, who now stays with strangers, had her life completely turned upside down.
Elizabeth Sibiya was unaware that she had “allegedly assaulted” Mnanawe Nomgqokwane, her male colleague, for more than a year.
She didn’t realise it until 2017, when police visited Sibiya and questioned her about an unrelated incident, at which point she realised the entire school had been the scene of a crime.
“The whole school on the day was a crime scene and learners were told to leave and I was left alone with two police officers who took me to Diepkloof police station. I was questioned on having assaulted Mr Nomgqokwane, something I did not do,” she told The Star.
Even though she was able to get the matter dismissed in court, Sibiya would subsequently discover that her pay had been abruptly stopped.
There was delay after delay in her attempts to have her salary reinstated. She worked for more than two years without receiving pay throughout this time.
Nevertheless, when she became unwell and was unable to work in 2020, things took a bad turn.
After three years of navigating the corridors of the Department of Education, the repercussions of the false allegations took an intense toll on Sibiya’s mental health.
In 2020, the strain culminated in severe depression, leading her to stop working. “The situation became unbearable,” she confessed.
“I was completely unaware of the case against me until I was confronted by the police,” she recalled, the anguish still palpable in her voice. “The prosecutor eventually withdrew the case, but the damage was done.”
Not only was Sibiya emotionally traumatised by the assault allegation, but she also learned that her pay had been frozen.
“My salary was stopped and reversed,” she detailed. “I have been trying to get it back ever since. No one is willing to explain how my money vanished. I was told that Nomgqokwane called the head office to reverse my salary.”
Sibiya was stuck in a bureaucratic maze despite her constant attempts to retrieve her earnings, which affected not only her cash but also her will to live.
“I was on the brink, almost losing my life. I had to give up my children, who now live with various relatives. I was evicted from my home, left with nothing.”
Sibiya’s repeated attempts to seek assistance from her union, the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), and her continued advocacy for her rights through the legal system, have thus far yielded no results.
“I approached the union for help, but my matter was moved to the bargaining chamber with no feedback. I even went to the Labour Court, and yet nothing is resolved,” she said.
Nomgqokwane refuted making unfounded charges of violence against his former co-worker in an interview with The Star, claiming that gender-based violence also affects men who have to take charge of their lives.
“While violence against women is a significant issue in our country, it is important to acknowledge that men can also be victims of such violence,” he said.
He urged for accountability and transparency, directing inquiries to relevant regulatory bodies, claiming the processes were thoroughly examined.
Nomgqokwane denied using his influence to have Sibiya’s salary unlawfully frozen.
Attempts to get a comment from the Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology regarding her case have been unsuccessful, leaving Sibiya’s plight unresolved and her future hanging precariously in the balance.
However, speaking to The Star on Wednesday, Sadtu spokesperson, Nomusa Cembi, revealed that the union receives numerous cases similar to Sibiya’s matter even though she is not familiar with the specifics of Sibiya’s matter.
“Yes, we do deal with such cases but as the national office, I cannot tell if we received a complaint from Ms Sibiya because the process of filing a complaint starts with her laying a complaint before her site steward at her college. Kindly find out from her if she reported the matter to her site steward or any Sadtu official,” she said.
The Star