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News24 reports that a former Comair flight attendant is questioning how he lost his job as a cabin crew member after engaging in what he thought was an honest conversation with a colleague.
Ayanda Mpolweni, who identifies as gay, said he started a conversation with his colleague while undergoing training for Comair in 2018. The colleague, who later failed his training, had earlier shown him a picture of himself in Bangkok, Thailand, and asked him to guess where he was. Not recognising the city, Mpolweni said he guessed the place was Belville, Cape Town. After his colleague told him where it was, Mpolweni said he replied: "Ohkay, Bangkok! That's a very gay-friendly city. I love Bangkok, but it's dodgy, why would anyone travel there…?" He said following this discussion, he was informed by his manager that he had been accused of sexual harassment. "I am still trying to understand how it [the conversation] went from Bangkok, gay-friendly, to sexual harassment." He said the claims were made shortly after his colleague had failed the test. His colleague argued that Mpolweni's views had distracted him. Comair confirmed that Mpolweni was dismissed in July 2018, following a report of sexual harassment. The company outlined that at the time of dismissal, he was on a training course and had only been with the airline for a few weeks. While Mpolweni argued he was not given the opportunity to undergo a disciplinary hearing to prove his case, the company said all necessary steps were followed before he was dismissed. The dispute between the company and Mpolweni is currently at the CCMA.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sesona Ngqakamba at News24
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