As the SABC joins the global #MeToo movement with an official inquiry into sexual harassment and sex-for-jobs, the public broadcaster's boss says 'it has to do with courage and saying we're fixing'.

The SABC announced that the South African public broadcaster is officially joining the global #MeToo movement again sexual harassment in the workplace and launching a wide-ranging commission of inquiry over sex-for-jobs at the SABC, with acting CEO, Nomsa Philiso saying "it has to do with courage".

With the SABC officially taking the lead in South Africa's film and TV industry about a topic that broadcasting and executives shy away from and don't want to talk about or properly and officially want to investigate, the SABC is throwing down the gauntlet.

The SABC's official investigation is placing pressure on other other big broadcasters and operators - ranging from e.tv and M-Net to MultiChoice and big TV and film production companies - to announce similar official sexual harassment inquiries.

SABC staffers, on-air talent and crew of any SABC show, as well as people who've had interactions with the SABC in whatever level where they've faced sexual harassment, sexual abuse and pressure over sexual favours and sex-for-jobs, are implored to contact the SABC and the commission to share their information and stories.

Submissions about sexual harassment can be emailed to SexualandPersonalfav@sabc.co.za. From 1 June the SABC is also placing submission boxes at the broadcaster's regional offices for people who want to drop off paper documents.

Nomsa Philiso says "the issue of personal favours is quite serious" and will be broad in scope, including unwelcome touching and "just how it makes you feel" to serious allegations about sex-for-jobs inside SABC corridors. "We are going to make sure that we follow this through to the full extent of the law in the event that the veracity of allegations are proven".

For the next two weeks people will also be able to tell the SABC about sexual harassment and abuse they've experienced - with the SABC that wants to hear from both SABC staffers, as well as freelancers who've worked or are working for the SABC, as well as people who've never worked for the SABC but have had interaction with the public broadcaster and encountered sexual harassment or abuse.

"What is important for us is to ensure absolute confidentiality because we recognise that part of why people don't take these issues is it's either [because of] the stigma or just lack of trust in the system of whether or not something will come out of it. We would like to assure our staff and everybody else that we're taking this process seriously because we do think that we need to cleanse ourselves as a starting point."

"This inquiry is not going to be restricted to just permanent SABC staff members," said Nomsa Philiso.


It has to do with courage
"We've heard that some of our freelancers have experienced some of these atrocities so we'd like to extend the commission of inquiry to anyone that has felt aggrieved or harassed by any of the SABC staff members. We have also been informed that there have been some suppliers of services to the SABC who have been asked for personal favours. We're also appealing to them to come and join in the inquiry," said Nomsa Philiso.

"We hear about the youngsters who have aspirations to be in this business. We hear about students who have been lured with promises that have not materialised."

"Those are some of the people - they may not be working for us as freelancers, but I think we all know what happens with the auditions and all of that stuff, and if people have got information that can lead us to cleansing ourselves, we welcome that information".

Nomsa Philiso said the SABC inquiry is "about resetting the tone of our values".

"It's about the rumours that are festering and we don't want to leave them unattended. I believe that one of the responsibilities of leadership is that once you know about something, you have a responsibility to act on it. There was actually a firm allegation by one of the staff members who said we need to investigate the sex-for-jobs issue at the SABC and we believe it's not something we can take lightly."

"This is probably one of the most difficult things to do. Because it has to do with courage. It has to do with people being able to stand up and say 'we're fixing'."

"Why now? Why not then? I just want to say this is as good time as any. Maybe, if anything, it is too late. It may be too late in other instances. But I do believe that at some point, we do need to start," said Nomsa Philiso.

"These things have been bubbling underneath but we have never dealt with it. So we want to open it up and deal with it."

"I do not have any illusion that when we finish this inquiry that those things will not happen again because our society is what it is. What I'm hoping for, is that it start to change the tone and does not enable. By keeping quiet I believe that to a large extent we're enabling".

The organisation Sisters Working in Film and Television (Swift) said it commends the SABC for taking this step, saying "it's something that as an organisation we've been working on for the last two years. For people in leadership to be actively taking action in this direction is very encouraging".

Women in South Africa have become vocal about sexual harassment and assault in the workplace and more are sharing their personal stories.

In December 2017 the #NotInMyName organisation held public protest action at the entrance of the MultiChoice City headquarters in Randburg, Johannesburg, over allegations that female MultiChoice staffers have been raped and victimised through sexual harassment.

Protesters were furious over the way MultiChoice has allegedly not been doing enough to help a rape victim working at MultiChoice and to address sexual harassment of workers.

In April 2018 a female extra made allegations about on-set sexual harassment in Durban on the set of e.tv's Imbewu - The Seed soap.

Swift, aimed at protecting and advancing the cause of women in the South African film and television industry, conducted research in 2017 with the study that uncovered widespread sexism, sexual harassment and unfair labour practices being experienced by women in the South African film and TV industry.

Over 70% of women surveyed and working in South Africa's film and TV industry said that they have felt violated in the workplace. Over 71% said that there was no platform or person available on-set that they could rely on for support or could report abuse.

SABC starts two commissions of enquiry to investigate editorial interference in the SABC newsroom, as well as sexual harassment at the public broadcaster.

The SABC's acting CEO, Nomsa Philiso, announced that the South African public broadcaster is starting two commissions of enquiry - one into possible editorial interference into SABC News, and one into sexual harassment and abuse.

Joe Thloloe, executive director of the Press Council will lead the commission of inquiry into possible SABC newsroom interference - both political and commercial interference as well as possible interference by NGO pressure groups - with SABC staffers as well as the public that can make submissions between 1 to 15 June, after which oral hearings will take place from 15 June.

This inquiry into editorial interference at the SABC will cover the time period of 2012 to 2018 with a legal firm assisting Joe Thloloe and Nomsa Philiso saying "I do not want anybody from the SABC at all to be part of the panel - whether junior or senior. I believe the panel should be as independent as possible".

The SABC hopes to finish by 15 July and to have a draft report ready by 8 August that will be shared with the media.

Submissions for editorial interference can be sent to NewsInquiry@sabc.co.za and for sexual harassment to SexualandPersonalfav@sabc.co.za. From 1 June the SABC is also placing submission boxes at the broadcaster's regional offices for people who want to drop off paper documents.

Nomsa Philiso said the SABC feels it hasn't "done justice" to allegations regarding editorial interference into the operations of the SABC newsroom and said the one inquiry is being done because if you "don't fix it festers and it becomes a bigger issue".

"From an SABC point of view, it's absolutely key that the integrity of news is beyond question. We want to start by saying that we are in the phase of renewal, we are in the phase of fixing, and this is one of the things we are starting to do as we go into the road of recovery."

"One of the things we find ourselves in, is more often than not, the SABC makes headlines for the wrong reasons. And the things that are within our control, and the things that we can clean up, we do feel that we need to prioritise those."

Nomsa Philiso said the inquiry into editorial interference is "not a witch hunt of any shape or form". "What is important for us, is for us to learn the lessons, and also to see how we can future-proof our newsroom to make sure that the mistakes of the past won't happen again and to actually understand the environment - to say why did they happen and what can we do to make sure that those things don't happen again".

"We hope that some of the things that come out of this inquiry will help us to enhance and improve the SABC's editorial policy. This is not about a witch hunt but about repositioning the SABC and making that going forward we're not going to repeat the mistakes of the past."

The SABC's second commission of inquiry is about sexual harassment in the workplace, with Nomsa Philiso saying "the issue of personal favours is quite serious" and will be broad in scope, including unwelcome touching and "just how it makes you feel" to serious allegations about sex-for-jobs inside SABC corridors. "We are going to make sure that we follow this through to the full extent of the law in the event that the veracity of allegations are proven".

For the next two weeks people will also be able to tell the SABC about sexual harassment and abuse they've experienced - with the SABC that wants to hear from both SABC staffers, as well as freelancers who've worked or are working for the SABC, as well as people who've never worked for the SABC but have had interaction with the public broadcaster and encountered sexual harassment or abuse.

"What is important for us is to ensure absolute confidentiality because we recognise that part of why people don't take these issues is it's either [because of] the stigma or just lack of trust in the system of whether or not something will come out of it. We would like to assure our staff and everybody else that we're taking this process seriously because we do think that we need to cleanse ourselves as a starting point."

"This inquiry is not going to be restricted to just permanent SABC staff members," said Nomsa Philiso.


It has to do with courage
"We've heard that some of our freelancers have experienced some of these atrocities so we'd like to extend the commission of inquiry to anyone that has felt aggrieved or harassed by any of the SABC staff members. We have also been informed that there have been some suppliers of services to the SABC who have been asked for personal favours. We're also appealing to them to come and join in the inquiry."

"We hear about the youngsters who have aspirations to be in this business. We hear about students who have been lured with promises that have not materialised."

"Those are some of the people - they may not be working for us as freelancers, but I think we all know what happens with the auditions and all of that stuff, and if people have got information that can lead us to cleansing ourselves, we welcome that information".

Nomsa Philiso said the SABC inquiries are "about resetting the tone of our values".

"It's about the rumours that are festering and we don't want to leave them unattended. I believe that one of the responsibilities of leadership is that once you know about something, you have a responsibility to act on it. There was actually a firm allegation by one of the staff members who said we need to investigate the sex-for-jobs issue at the SABC and we believe it's not something we can take lightly."

"This is probably one of the most difficult things to do. Because it has to do with courage. It has to do with people being able to stand up and say 'we're fixing'. Why now? Why not then? I just want to say this is as good time as any. Maybe, if anything, it is too late. it may be too late in other instances. But I do believe that at some point, we do need to start," said Nomsa Philiso.

"These things have been bubbling underneath but we have never dealt with it. So we want to open it up and deal with it."

"I do not have any illusion that when we finish this inquiry that those things will not happen again because our society is what it is. What I'm hoping for, is that it start to change the tone and does not enable. By keeping quiet I believe that to a large extent we're enabling".

The organisation Sisters Working in Film and Television (Swift) said it commends the SABC for taking this step, saying "it's something that as an organisation we've been working on for the last two years. For people in leadership to be actively taking action in this direction is very encouraging".

e.tv's upcoming new Grapevine produced show, Imbewu - The Seed, rocked by sexual harassment claims from an on-set extra; e.tv says it views these types of allegations as very serious and has started an investigation.

e.tv's upcoming new local prime time soap Imbewu - The Seed set to start later this month on 16 April and already mired in controversy, is now also being rocked by distressing and serious sexual harassment allegations with the broadcaster that has started an investigation.

A woman, Amanda Phakathi, who has been employed as an Imbewu on-set extra, has come forward making allegations of bad on-set treatment and sexual harassment at the show filmed on location in KwaZulu-Natal.

She said that "male crew are perverts" in a message directed at executive producer Duma Ndlovu, claiming she felt "violated and unsafe", was shouted at, and was told by "the short chubby guy from admin" that trying to report the sexual harassment "won't help because I'm just an extra".

e.tv in response to a media enquiry tells TVwithThinus that the broadcaster is aware of the sexual harassment allegations, views all allegations of this nature as very serious, and has started an investigation.

Imbewu: The Seed is produced by Grapevine Productions, a joint venture between Videovision Entertainment, Word of Mouth Pictures and Luys Productions with Duma Ndlovu and Anant Singh.

The show, set to start on 16 April at 21:30 with Leleti Khumalo, Thembi Mtshali, Sandile Dlamini and Mpumelelo Bhulose already courted controversy earlier this year when the anti-Indian group knwon as the Injenje Yaba Nguni Council in February threatened to burn down Anant Singh’s Videovision offices if Imbewu dares to portray racial tensions between Indians and other groupings.

Imbewu: The Seed revolves around two brothers - one leading a rural life, the other one rich in the city. One can't father children and the other one is asked to impregnate his brother's wife in order to ensure the legacy and dynasty of the family name.

In the latest controversy, Amanda Phakathi who allegedly worked as an extra on the Imbewu set, wrote to Duma Ndlovu to complain about sexual harassment on-set, telling him that "you treat extras like nobodies!" and that "the way extras are treated there is disgusting! Those male crew perverts are disgusting as well!"

"Duma Ndlovu, I am very disgusted in the way extras are treated on-set for Imbewu. I was an extra recently and I'm not happy with the treatment. The crew is super unprofessional, I felt so violated and unsafe! First of all when I got there a young man named Njabulo swore at me because I banged the door by MISTAKE because I was carrying so many clothes for the shoot. He shouted at me like I'm a small kid and swore at me!"

"It doesn't end there.When the shoot began they called me in to be an extra for the scene. The men there (part of the crew I think) kept pointing at my legs and laughing. I felt so uncomfortable as if there was something wrong with me."

"When I spoke to the short dark chubby guy from admin asking him if I can report this, he said it won't help because I'm just an extra and even Duma Ndlovu won't help you because that's how extras are treated. Those were his exact words."

"I am so hurt I never want to be an extra on Imbewu ever again!"

Ziyanda Mngomezulu, the general manager for content services at e.tv, regarding claims of sexual harassment on-set at Imbewu - The Seed told TVwithThinus in a statement that "e.tv is aware of an allegation of sexual harassment on the set of its new drama series Imbewu: The Seed."

"eMedia Investments takes a zero-tolerance stance on sexual harassment and abuse, in any form, and views all allegations of this nature as very serious."

Ziyanda Mngomezulu, says that "the moment the channel became aware of this allegation, it initiated an investigation with the production company of Imbewu:The Seed."

"Unfortunately, despite numerous efforts, Grapevine has been unable to identify and make contact with the individual concerned."

"Grapevine will continue to make efforts to identify and reach her, in order to acquire more information and then take the appropriate action to address the matter. At this time neither we nor any producers are able to provide any further comment."

e.tv says that any information that may aid this investigation can be sent to info@etv.co.za.

America's hashtagged #MeToo movement borne in October 2017 following the revelations of sexual misconduct allegations against the ousted Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, and now detailing the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment in the TV, film and entertainment industry but also other workplaces, has now crossed the Atlantic.

Women from the United Kingdom and India to South Africa have become vocal about sexual harassment and assault in the workplace and more are sharing their personal stories.

In December 2017 the #NotInMyName organisation held public protest action at the entrance of the MultiChoice City headquarters in Randburg, Johannesburg, over allegations that female MultiChoice staffers have been raped and victimised through sexual harassment.

Protesters were furious over the way MultiChoice has allegedly not been doing enough to help a rape victim working at MultiChoice and to address sexual harassment of workers.

MultiChoice said the satellite pay-TV operator will start a "thorough investigation" after a South African woman who is still working for MultiChoice and previously said she was raped in 2014, allegedly made new and further revelations, saying she was also raped by senior MultiChoice colleagues in 2014.

The Sisters Working in Film and Television (Swift) group aimed at protecting and advancing the cause of women in the South African film and television industry, conducted research in 2017 with the study that uncovered widespread sexism, sexual harassment and unfair labour practices being experienced by women in the South African film and TV industry.

Over 70% of women surveyed and working in South Africa's film and TV industry said that they have felt violated in the workplace. Over 71% said that there was no platform or person available on-set that they could rely on for support or could report abuse.