The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB)’s acting CEO Emmanuel Matsvaire is allegedly embroiled in a sexual harassment storm involving a former female subordinate, documents lodged with the Labour Court reveal.
The damning allegations are contained in the female executive’s founding affidavit against her dismissal from TIMB on abuse of office charges.
The sexual harassment allegations arose from an incident in which Matsvaire called the female executive (name withheld) to his office where he delivered a letter of “Leave of Absence” and the female executive got emotional as the news was unexpected. She got reassurance from Matsvaire that the process was being done to clear her name “of malicious allegations”.
“The manner in which the reassurance was being done made me feel uncomfortable,” she said.
“I made a motion to stand up to leave and the complainant rushed to lock the door saying he couldn't let me out of his office crying. He acted like he wanted to pat me, but I moved away asking him to unlock the door as I was not comfortable. He sensed the sternness in my voice to which he asked me that he will let me go if I don't cry (sic).
“I once warned the complainant against having multiple relationships at the workplace with students on attachment and other members of staff as this complaint had come to my attention to which he explicitly started boasting of his previous relationships with a former executive [using foul language] and another staff member," read part of the statement from the axed top female executive.
“He then said: ‘there is nothing special here as we can have a relationship since we are all adults’,” she said.
Matsvaire did not respond to questions sent to him last week. As pressure mounts on TIMB to act on Matsvaire, the Golden Leaf Advisory Board has written to Land and Agriculture minister Anxious Masuka to intervene as the tobacco industry regulator has been rocked by “rampant sexual harassment of students on attachment and other female staff members”.
- TIMB boss in court
- Tobacco sales hit 208m kg mark
- Tobacco sales rake in US$650,3 million
- Payment delays threaten tobacco farming preps
Keep Reading
“Despite concealment of several sexual harassment at TIMB, the cry by the affected has reached us, and as stakeholders, we strongly recommend that the most appropriate action be taken against such kind of unprofessional behaviour,” wrote Elisha Maziwisa, Golden Leaf Advisory Board chairman in a letter dated August 28.
