The Times * Madisha's COPE 'sex pest' hearing looms* /Disciplinary inquiry to be held tomorrow/ *Chandré Prince, The Times, Johannesburg, 5 October 2010*COPE executive member Willie Madisha will face sexual harassment charges tomorrow though no formal statements have been taken from his alleged victim or from witnesses.
Madisha will have to answer to a disciplinary hearing to be held at the party's headquarters in Johannesburg following his alleged violation of COPE's national secretary of the women's movement, Nozipho Didiza-Ndlela.
Willie MadishaLast month, Didiza-Ndlela lodged a complaint of misconduct against Madisha, alleging that the former trade union leader "indecently and intentionally touched my private parts in a manner that violated my private person and dignity".
Didiza-Ndlela was informed last Friday, via a letter, that the disciplinary hearing was to go ahead tomorrow, even though no official from COPE's disciplinary committee had contacted her to outline the process or get her version about the alleged harassment.
"Nobody has taken any statement from me or my witnesses. I don't know what's going to happen. I haven't been consulted by any prosecutor from the disciplinary committee," she said yesterday.
When contacted yesterday, Madisha said he was driving and would not be able to respond.
The alleged incident happened during a party meeting on September 4 in Johannesburg.
Didiza-Ndlela is fuming, claiming "they are not serious about this issue".The married mother of five children, who said she reacted with rage and scolded Madisha for his alleged actions, said she had been severely traumatised, but believes nothing will be done.
"I'm not expecting anything to come from this. "It's a non-issue for some, but it is very serious for me," she said.Shortly after the alleged incident, Didiza-Ndlela said: "When my matter was raised at the meeting, it was treated lightly. I went home feeling wounded."
She said Madisha had told her he was "just playing", and he had "offered an apology".
She is of the view that Madisha's impromptu apology, on instruction from leadership during the same meeting, was merely "buying face and not genuine". She said she found it difficult to understand how "a party that's supposed to defend everyone's constitutional rights" displayed a lacklustre attitude to a "very serious matter".
COPE's disciplinary committee chairman, Advocate John Korkie, said Didiza-Ndlela could either give oral evidence or submit written statements during the hearing.
Korkie said the women's movement had requested a female to prosecute Madisha due to the sensitive nature of the charge, but the prosecutor dealing with the matter was on maternity leave.
The hearing will be chaired by Eastern Cape COPE MP Makhosazana Njobe.*From: http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article689339.ece/Madishas-COPE-sex-pest-hearing-looms*
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