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The executive committee of the Association for the Advancement of Black Accountants in South Africa (Abasa) has resolved to expel its president Mbusiswa Ngcobo for allegedly manhandling a woman facilitator during a team-building session last year.
The organisation confirmed the axing of Ngcobo with a media statement issued on Friday following a recommendation by an independent disciplinary process held against Ngcobo.
“The organisation believes it has complied with the spirit and letter of the law in affording Ngcobo fair opportunities to be heard in relation to the [disciplinary] processes. The organisation also reserves its legal rights to defend itself in all matters should the need arise. As a consequence of these developments, Ashley Dicken (duly elected vice president) will take on all the responsibilities and duties of the organisation as the interim president. The remaining members of the exco remain in place and will be working in conjunction with Dicken to manage the affairs of the organisation. This interim arrangement is expected to remain in force until a special elective AGM takes place,” part of the statement read.
According to an earlier letter written by the organisation’s secretary, Luyanda Gidini, sent to the national board of directors and copied to past presidents, Ngcobo manhandled a non-member Standard Bank staffer, who was facilitating the session at the Standard Bank Global Leadership Centre (GLC) in Morningside, Johannesburg, in August.
“During one of the exercises where he was requested to present, Ngcobo did not want to follow her instructions and respond to her questions. In an attempt to bring the session to where it should be, Ngcobo physically manhandled her on three separate occasions [by forcefully grabbing her arm, preventing her from keeping the allocated time allowed for each member to present],” reads the letter, which was sent on the same day of the incident.
“It is the opinion of the [executive committee] that Ngcobo is bringing the organisation into disrepute and his behaviour is inconsistent with the manner in which the exco expects any member of Abasa to conduct themselves. Therefore, we seek to inform you of our recommendation to the board for the formal removal of Mbusiswa Ngcobo as an ordinary member, board member and the president of Abasa. Furthermore, as the exco, we neither recognise him as the president nor as a member of the organisation pending the outcome of the board’s resolution,” reads the letter written at the time of the recommendation, seen by City Press.
Efforts to get hold of Ngcobo were unsuccessful.
Ngcobo has previously denied the incident took place and said, if there was criminality, a criminal case should have been opened.
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