A College of Cape Town employee has been arrested on charges of sexual harassment.
Several students lodged a police complaint against the college’s Crawford campus residence supervisor, who was arrested last Thursday by Athlone police.
The suspect reportedly appeared at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where the state prosecutor opposed bail. The matter was postponed to June for a bail application.
A college staff member says the supervisor was arrested at the residence after about nine students went to the Athlone Police Station to file complaints of sexual harassment against the man.
Protests started on Friday at the Crawford campus, with students from the City and Thornton campuses joining.
According to the staffer, the residence supervisor was suspended by the College principal on Thursday, before the arrest was effected.
The staffer adds: “Apparently the principal appointed him to this post last year without following the proper recruitment process. No criminal checks etc.”
A former employee of the college says students would message him personally, sharing that they did not feel comfortable at the residence anymore.
He claims most of these concerns were then raised between August and September last year to the campus manager.
The former staffer says: “I did inform the Campus Manager about this via telephone about their concerns and that I requested they rather detail their concerns/grievances and inform the Campus Manager via mail or letter as I don’t have any say.
“They informed me that they did have a meeting with the Campus Manager and presented her with their concerns regarding the new residence supervisor.
“I do not know if these concerns were highlighted to the residence supervisor or if it was escalated.”
He adds that student support services should be more involved in residence life.
College principal and CEO Dr Manager Mhangarai Muswaba confirms that the residence supervisor at the Crawford campus was reported by students “as having had affairs with students”.
He says the male employee was suspended without pay until investigations were concluded, as the allegations were considered serious.
The case was also reported to the Department of Higher Education and Training, and an independent investigator from a sister college was appointed to investigate the matter.
Muswaba confirms that the employee had been arrested by the police.