Correspondent|THE Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has called on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to reverse the appointment of Registrar General (RG) Clemence Masango until he is cleared of sexual harassment charges raised against him.
Former immigration department head Clemence Masango (pictured) recently took over from long-serving registrar general Tobaiwa Mudede who was retired as part of a shake-up of the civil service by Mnangagwa.
Masango is embroiled in a nasty fight with former Immigration Department employees who allege that he dismissed them from employment after they rebuffed his sexual advances.
The disgruntled women have since appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public Service, where they told MPs they had resorted to reporting their case to Parliament after then Home Affairs ministers, Kembo Mohadi (now Vice-President), Ignatius Chombo and now Obert Mpofu failed to address it.
The matter is also being investigated by the Zimbabwe Gender Commission.
ZCTU president Peter Mutasa, described the ex-police officer’s appointment to RG as unfair since sexual harassment allegations raised in his previous role as immigration head have yet to be resolved.
“We regard the appointment or reassignment as lack of judgment by the appointing authority,” said Mutasa.
“While we respect the fact that every accused person is innocent until proven guilty, the elevation is actually a direct interference with the Gender Commission’s investigation.”
Mutasa said Mnangagwa’s promotion of individual who headed an organisation under investigation undermines the Constitutional Commission’s work and trivialises the serious
complaints raised by workers.
This risks frustrating efforts to deal with workplace sexual harassment driven by unions and other social movements.
“… as a result we are going to demand that the appointment be rescinded until investigations are concluded. We will also look at the legal options,” he added
Women’s rights activist Nokhlo Mhluzini said the appointment raises serious concerns.
“Masango’s appointment as Registrar General raises many concerns and we cannot, with a clear conscience, welcome it as there are serious allegations that have been levelled against him and he has not been cleared by a court of law.
“The appointment is an insult to victims of sexual harassment as it reverses the strides made by women and other campaigners in fighting against all forms of abuse at the workplace,”
she said.
Source New Zim