{
  "id": 9697772,
  "title": "Junior employee at municipality fired ‘for rejecting advances’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/junior-employee-at-municipality-fired-for-rejecting-advances",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-25T04:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/news/junior-employee-at-municipality-fired-for-rejecting-advances/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A junior employee at Gauteng's Lesedi municipality was dismissed after allegedly rejecting sexual advances from a senior manager. The employee, who was a training and development officer, reported the harassment to the authorities. She was subsequently suspended and fired, allegedly without cause, and was left without her salary and benefits for nine months. The municipality removed her electricity meter box, which her lawyers argued was part of a broader campaign of victimization. An independent investigation found \"prima facie\" evidence of sexual harassment and victimization by the senior manager, Sibusiso Dlamini. The report recommended disciplinary action against Dlamini and that the municipality pay the employee for the nine months of lost salary. However, her case is currently being heard in the High Court, preventing the disciplinary process from proceeding.",
  "summary": "Training officer alleges victimisation with trumped‑up charges and nine months without pay",
  "key_points": [
    "Junior employee fired for rejecting senior manager's advances.",
    "Employee reported harassment, then suspended and fired.",
    "Independent investigation found evidence of sexual harassment."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The employee's dismissal and prolonged loss of pay and benefits suggest a pattern of victimization that may have been condoned by the municipality, undermining its duty to protect workers from harassment.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}