Suspended for Speaking Out: Clicks Nurse Claims Retaliation Over Harassment Report

Suspended for Speaking Out: Clicks Nurse Claims Retaliation Over Harassment Report

In a case that strikes at the heart of corporate accountability and whistleblower protection, a Gauteng nurse finds herself fighting for her job after speaking out about what she describes as a toxic work environment. Linda Motloung, a qualified nurse at the Tsakane Clicks Pharmacy Clinic in Brakpan, has been suspended by the retail giant, a move she believes is direct punishment for her courage to go public with allegations of sexual harassment.

The suspension, delivered last Friday, has ignited a fresh firestorm around how companies handle internal complaints and whether they silence those who seek external help.

The Charges: Breaking Policy or Breaking Silence?

The official suspension letter, seen by The Citizen, cites two primary reasons for the disciplinary action.

First, Clicks alleges that around May 2024, Motloung unilaterally changed the clinic’s trading hours, closing early against direct instructions from her employer.

The second charge is the one that has drawn sharp criticism. Clicks has suspended Motloung for “bringing the company into disrepute” by speaking to the media about her mistreatment. The company claims she did this knowing the matter was either resolved or under investigation, thereby damaging its reputation.

For Motloung and her supporters, this charge is not about policy; it’s about power. It’s being interpreted as a classic tactic to intimidate an employee and shift the focus from the original, serious allegations of misconduct.

A Harassment Case That Started It All

The roots of this conflict trace back to last year. Motloung alleges that a store manager made deeply inappropriate and sexually suggestive comments to her. As a new mother at the time, she claims he told her to use her breast milk to lubricate her finger to unlock a security door. On another occasion, she alleges he told her to use her finger “the same way she uses it when she is with her partner.”

She reported these incidents, but an internal hearing cleared the manager of any wrongdoing a outcome Motloung is challenging at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). She claims that after she made the report, management began a campaign of mistreatment against her, which became so severe she obtained a protection order against some colleagues.

“They Are Trying to Get Rid of Me”

In an emotional interview, Motloung described the suspension as a blatant act of retaliation. She recounted the event, stating a representative from head office ambushed her in a “stress room” and attempted to block her exit while presenting the suspension letter.

“This is a sign that the entire Clicks management believes that I was wrong in reporting sexual harassment,” Motloung said. “Now, they are trying to get rid of me because I managed to stand up against the abuse.”

She has refused to sign the suspension notice and is now consulting with her union to plan her legal response, arguing that the suspension while her CCMA case is ongoing is a form of intimidation.

Expert Weighs In: A Chilling Effect

Labour analyst Bukani Mngoma emphasized the critical need for employers to handle sexual harassment allegations with utmost seriousness and impartiality. When asked for advice, he suggested that in cases where the work environment becomes intolerable, an employee might consider resigning and then claiming constructive dismissal a legal recourse for those forced out of their jobs due to an employer’s breach of contract.

For its part, Clicks, through Group Chief People Officer Bridget Makhura, maintains that the suspension is a “precautionary” measure to allow for a fair disciplinary process and is “not related to the sexual harassment complaint… or to her speaking to the media.”

However, to the public and advocates for workplace safety, the timing appears highly coincidental. The case raises a critical question for South African employees: what are the real risks of speaking out against abuse, and when does a company’s defense of its reputation cross the line into the suppression of truth?

{Source: The Citizen}

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