Sideshow drama as Sascoc discusses sexual harassment allegations against CEO

A panel is to investigate the sexual harassment claims against SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) CEO Tubby Reddy by a female employee.

But in a sideshow drama‚ while the umbrella body’s board was discussing the matter on Monday‚ what the female employee said was a hacked email was sent from her Sascoc account supposedly withdrawing the charge against Reddy and claiming that it was “an orchestration” by Sascoc president Gideon Sam.

Several minutes later the employee sent out another email denying she had issued the earlier one‚ saying “someone has hacked my computer”.

She confirmed this when contacted by Times Media.

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The alleged hacker appeared to issue the email to at least three different batches of recipients‚ but they all included what appeared to be her original letter of complaint dated April 21 detailing “inappropriate conduct” by Reddy as well as Sam’s response to her from May 3.

Sam said after Monday's meeting: “[The] board resolution is to protect both parties in the first instance.

“An independent panel will be put together to hear both sides and advise the board.”

He added that Sport Minister Thembelani Nxesi was being consulted.

The board discussed its own composition — at 15 strong it contravenes Sascoc’s constitution which stipulates a maximum of 14 — and agreed to vote out one of four co-opted members.

Sam said the board‚ apart from the co-opted members‚ would send their votes to Reddy by the close of business on Wednesday.

In an interview with the Sunday Times‚ Reddy firmly denied the sexual harrasment claim‚ pointing out he had not been officially charged.

He added that the harassment charge against him was first hatched in December and it had taken so long to come out.

“It shows the orchestration‚” he said.

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In her letter of grievance‚ the employee‚ who is married‚ said the Sascoc HR policy document “seems not to make provision to lodge a grievance against the CEO”.

She said since she started working at Sascoc “Reddy had sent inappropriate correspondence from his work email to my work email ... of which he insisted that I respond to”‚ she said‚ adding copies of some messages were annexed‚ although they weren’t part of the email sent out yesterday.

“I requested in person that he stops his inappropriate conduct to which he chuckled and responded by reminding me of his position and influence in the organisation.

“I was often summoned to his office by his executive staff staying ‘Tubby wants to see you now’‚ with a positive anticipation of being summoned to his office for work-related matters‚ I found myself being called for other unrelated work matters which included massage [sic] his neck and shoulders.”

The employee also claimed that Reddy had victimised and excluded her‚ had hindered her work performance‚ made threats about her job security and had behaved in a self-centred manner.

Reddy countered in his earlier interview that the employee herself had been disciplined for harassment of another employee.

In her letter‚ she said “he has encouraged demeaning and belittling remarks and prompted staff members to call me ‘a slave driver’.” - TMG Digital/TMG Sport