• Tweet

IN ROW: Daphne Neethling PHOTO: Lebohang Mashiloane

RELATED ARTICLES

• KFC employee reinstated after lunch row
• Ex-official takes NUM to CCMA
• You can't call me stupid
• 'Labour law isn't right' - Herman Mashaba
• Contractor faces protests over pay
• Judge slates companies over labour practises
• Important CCMA Rules
• CCMA Capacity Building, Job Saving and Outreach Services:
• Fifteen years and over 1.75m disputes
• CCMA director's reflections
• CCMA at the coalface - Over 1.75 million cases in fifteen years and still much to be done
• Johannesburg CCMA office
• Put Mediation First
• How to contact the CCMA in South Africa-There's an office near you!
• The CCMA's Building Workplace Relations Service
• Looking back, moving forward - there's much to be done
• New CCMA arbitration guidelines from 2012

A SALES executive at the diamond cutting and polishing company African Romance was allegedly dismissed after she lodged a complaint against the wife of the CEO.

Joy Makhubela, of Soweto, said trouble started when she reported the company's director of marketing, Daphne Neethling, for swearing at her.

Neethling is married to Mohseen Valli Moosa, the company's CEO.

Makhubela said she was relieving a colleague at the switchboard when Neethling verbally abused her.

"Daphne asked me to put her through to her PA, but there was a problem with our switchboard and her call could not go through.

"She walked to me and started swearing at me."

Makhubela lodged a grievance with the human resources department.

The following day she received a letter informing her that she was being retrenched.

"I was retrenched without consultation or being interviewed. All I needed was an apology from Daphne but I was punished for reporting her," she said.

She believes that the company's decision to "retrench" her was motivated by the fact that she had complained about Moosa's wife.

Moosa is a former ANC MP. There were reports in 2009 that the Gauteng government contravened financial regulations by giving Moosa R55-million, in addition to the R80-million he received from the Industrial Development Corporation, to start African Romance.

In the letter signed by acting human resources manager Aakhil Hoosain Makhubela is informed she is being retrenched due to a "change in African Romance's operational procedures and due to a restructuring process".

Makhubela said Hoosain told her to leave immediately.

She took the matter to the CCMA and it is due to be heard today.

Sowetan asked for comment from Hoosain last week and he promised to respond by yesterday. But he has not done so.

Comments

• Sign in or sign up to comment

Wed Jun 19 01:54:39 SAST 2013 ::

Aug 14, 2012

tpaz

As long as it is easy to hire and fire. Workers will never have job security. Companies use restructuring as an excuse to fire people. Labour laws and the CCMA should see that workers are protected from racists and egoistic company owners .
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

Lungu

And yet the so-called President is saying more woman should be CEO's on private companies, but forgetting how cruel they can be even if their boyfriends or husband are bosses.
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

golly459

Why if someone belong to ANC thinks that he/she can do whatever he/she feel regardless of how other people feel and get away with it ntlaaaaa!!.Sorry sis let the CCMA deal with them.
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

vivla

Seems like everyone connected to the ANC is set for life with tax payers monies. Valli Mossa has been quiet for some time, now we know why.....he is spending that money with his rude wife. Depressed women, probably not getting the way she wants.
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

swona

ANC!
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

Kaylae

Since you built that company with our tax money,you should reinstate that woman.
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

Kgaoza606

She's the boss' wife and can do whatever. Very much unfortunate but its true... The poor woman must just go to CCMA and hope for a favourable outcome coz it'd be so unfair to become unemployed coz the boss' brainless- bimbo is just being a b#tch...
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

pedi4life

daphne o botse ngwanana mara mabjoko gona aowa ga o na gona
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

Papage

Stand you ground Girl, we are with you, We will make sure companies that treats its people like dirt are delt with, we will never support such businesses, dont worry they will feel the loss sooner, it does not matter if is ANC business or anybody business, but all employees must be treated equally. Viva sisonke viva!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

Lungu

This country is a total mess and things keeps getting worse second by second, the ANC has let us down and we have to admit that.
Report Abuse

Read all 32 comments