This adage is aptly applied to the case of a 19-year-old woman employed as a marketing agent at a micro-insurance company in Kwekwe who is claiming she was sexually harassed by her supervisor.
Stewart Mangwiro, an elder at the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (ZAOGA) Forward in Faith Ministries church, who is also a supervisor and team leader at Coverlink Micro-Insurance Holdings is being accused by the female subordinate (name withheld) of inappropriately and indecently touching her.
The sexual harassment allegations arose from an incident during a work trip where Mangwiro allegedly requested to share a room with the victim. Later that night, he sneaked into her blankets without her consent and removed her jacket which she was wearing, and started kissing and caressing her body as well as sucking the teenage girl’s boobs, it is alleged.
Recounting the most shocking details of her victimisation, the victim said the harassment began when Mangwiro was tasked with training, supervising, and accompanying the company’s agents to Nkayi District in Matabeleland North Province to market their products.
She claimed Mangwiro would visit their sleeping quarters under the guise of providing work guidance. These visits escalated to inappropriate touching, including touching the victim’s thighs while ostensibly explaining tasks.
Speaking to B-Metro, the victim expressed concern that justice was not being served at the company. She claimed that some company employees were helping to cover up for Mangwiro by constantly trying to bribe her with US$150.
“I believe in the importance of speaking out and standing up against such behaviour. Soon after I reported the matter at work, hoping they would assist me, the manager called a private meeting with me and Mangwiro in his car outside the work premises. He pleaded with me to accept a US$150 bribe from Mangwiro and to write a report that would not result in Mangwiro’s dismissal. I was offered a bribe to remain silent about the sexual harassment issue, but I refused the US$150,” she said.
She said she has also been receiving threatening calls from some people in the company’s management, interrogating her about why she revealed the news to her parents and this publication.
She said Mangwiro was neither fired nor suspended, adding that the atmosphere has become intolerable as she continues to work with the man who has made her workplace a place of torment.
“Accepting a bribe would not only have compromised my values but also perpetuated a culture of silence and fear. They also asked me to keep the issue under wraps, saying it should remain among the three of us only.
“So, after the story came out (in this publication), I started receiving calls from some in the company’s human resource department. They even used unknown numbers to call me, interrogating me about why I disclosed the matter which they wanted to keep under the carpet. I am not at peace, and I haven’t been answering some calls,” she said before breaking into tears.
She claimed the company management allegedly instructed her to attend a hearing last Monday, adding that Mangwiro had a lawyer to speak on his behalf during the hearing.
“I was called by the head office to attend a meeting last Monday, but I heard that Mangwiro had already retained a lawyer. I would have had to face his lawyer alone, so I declined, saying I wasn’t feeling well. My relatives helped me get a lawyer to represent me at the hearing as well,” she said.
In an audio recording obtained by this publication, another manager is allegedly heard endorsing the cover-up deal and urging the victim not to reveal the information to her parents.
“Since Mangwiro is going to give you US$150, you should write a fair report that won’t implicate him. All three of us should be safe, the report shouldn’t implicate us. Mangwiro was a police officer and he can help you draft your report so that you don’t leave him in a compromising position, but it shouldn’t be overdone. The ball is in your court to ensure you balance this and keep Mangwiro on the safe side. You shouldn’t tell your parents because sometimes we think we’ve sealed a deal and are finished, then third parties come in and stir up the issue.”
Mangwiro is also heard allegedly weighing his options while pleading, saying: “Only the three of us should know about this and discuss it without involving outsiders for the sake of my life. I was going to give you a beast, but things are hard for me, so in just a few days, I will pay you US$150 as a thank you for taking this risk for me.”
Contacted for comment, Mangwiro declined to entertain further questions. Denying the allegations of bribing the victim, she said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” before abruptly hanging up the call. The branch manager, Chris Mudzingwa, also denied the allegations.
“It’s absolutely not true. I would never do such a thing. I’m actually trying to protect her, so how could I possibly do that? Just wait for the results; we’re still investigating the matter, and I assure you we’ll share the findings,” he said.
Efforts to contact the company’s human resources manager Tendai Kwanisai, were unsuccessful. The company’s general manager Kavanga Magora, could also neither confirm nor deny the allegations. Instead, he requested more time to gather information on the matter.
“Where did you get that information? Allow me to get back to you once I have the full details. Tendai Kwanisai will not interrogate the victim, which is why she froze during the call,” he said. – B-Metro.
