Game stores manager vincent Palan has been summoned by the Labour Commission after company employees accused him of sexual harrasmnet, verbal abuse and intimidation.
And former game stores secretary Brenda Mpoya has described Palan as an abusive boss.
But when contacted to give his side of story, Palan refused to saying he would not give any interviews because the company lawyer were handling the case.
Meanwhile Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda says government will take stern actions if the investigations prove Palan guilty as accused.
Palan spent most of His afternoon at the Labour office in Lusaka after a written complaint by former employee Mukamuluti Mwila.
Earlier, Mwila who was accompanied by Game union executives and three other employees to the post accused Palan of sexual harassment, verbal abuse and intimidation. Mwila disclosed that Palan on three occasions touched her in a sexual way during working hours and threatened to fire her if she did not oblige to his sexual overtures.
“ The first time he touched the inside of my thighs and I moved away.
I felt very uncomfortable but he proceeded and touched my upper thighs and even removed my underwear “. Mwila said before she broke down in tears.
Mwila had earlier copied her complaint letter to the post but the editorial team decided they would only publish the story after talking to her and Palan.
Mwila said Palan on several occasions attempted to touch her breast and bums and bums and wanted to have sex with her if she wanted to be promoted or have a brighter future in the store.
“On several occasions, he has told me he wants me to sleep with him, meaning (having sex with him).
He said he could not imagine why it had not happened yet.
He proudly said he was not a type of man that takes a lady to a bar or club.
He said he was going to take me straight to bed and have sex with me as he did not want to waste any time”. She said.
Mwila said after she refused to have sex with Palan, he made her job a ‘living hell’.
She said Palan also ensured that she was put out of work because she had refused to have sex with him.
“We as casual workers are paid depending on the number of hours we put in and he ensured that when I reported he had I sent back”. She explained.
Mwila said she had just completed grade 12 and was only trying to raise college fees and pursue a college marketing degree.
“It wasn’t only me he treated like this but I couldn’t do it, that man he’s old enough to be my father or older, others have obliged for fear of losing their jobs and I just couldn’t” she said.
Mwila said in an attemp to cushion her complaint, Palan had alleged directed the Human Resource Manager, Evaristo Hakayobe, to have a meeting with her and her aunt, Moono Mwila who is Zambia’s Ladies Gold union president in order to persuade her to drop the charges.
In a recording made available to the post, Hakayobe and Moone asked Mwila to consider dropping the charges and said she was been used by her colleagues and legal aid where she has reported the matter to.
When contacted yesterday, Moono refused to comment from the recording, Hakayobe told Mwila not to go ahead of her charges and told her she would end up losing her job and her things in life.”
In a separate case an email was obtained by the post sent to Palan on 7, November 2013, by a lady only identified as Stacy accusing him of sexually abusing her. The email read :” Hey you think I forgot what you did to me in your office at game city, hope you enjoyed yourself, you threatened me with my job and laughed at me in my face when I told you that I had missed my period. F***ing animal. This is just the start. I wonder how many girls you did this to and now you are a store manager, let’s see for how long.”
And former stores secretary Brenda Mpoya confirmed that she had seen the email and Palan ordered that she discards the mail, and everybody else does the same.
She further added that communications between the two continued and Palan and the woman currently have a child.
Mpoya added that when she worked with Palan he was an abusive boss.
“Palan does not know how to treat human beings be it married, female or male, even when you have a child who is sick, he does not allow to take the child to the clinic he scolds you and tells you all sorts of things, Mpoya said.
“I never had sexual advances from him because I never gave him a chance, I ensured that even with his jokes I kept a distance.”
Mpoya added that palan may have tried to make advances at her but she put her foot down but she could not allow it.
When contacted to give his side of the story regarding all the accusation made against him, Palan said he would not give any interviews because the company lawyers were handling the case.
He said he was not even aware of a sexual case against him in South Africa.
“I do not know anything about that, and I cannot talk to you at the moment, the case is with the lawyers.” He said.
And when asked which lawyers were handling the case palan abruptly cut the line.
And Shamenda said the ministry would take stern action if the investigations prove
Palan guilty, as accused.
However, some employees at game stores said Shamenda was compromised because he was a very good friend of Palan.
“When Shamenda comes to game, he gets ridiculous discount for example, last week he came to buy a tent at our store. The tent cost K8,800 but he was given the tent at K5000 and this happens a lot when he’s in the store, and you will find when he’s in the store, Palan is the one who pushes the trolley even the Human Resource manager. No one else is allowed to attend to him.” One of the employees said.
“We have had other customers for example, Winter Kabimba comes here a lot, Jean Kapata, Wilbur Simusa but none of them are given such discount or given such attention.”
But when queried about the allegations, Shamenda said he received the same discount as all other customers, when I shop from game it is during the same period like everyone, that is on Wednesday or Thursday and I get the same discount as everybody else.
I know Mr Palan as the manager of the store and I was of the view that they were just being courteous to a VIP. He is not the only one I know. Mr Mwimba and some of the female officers in the place, some actually came from Ndola,” He said.
And Shamenda said he was surprised that Palan would exhibit would exhibit such behavior and maintained that their friendship could not interfere with any investigations.
“I do not tolerate such things, I have been going there and shopping there and I have even asked the union officials about their conditions and told them I would like to know about their working conditions, I would like to have good conditions, especially in a place where I go. It is a place where I always shop, the conditions must be good,” he said.
“And after investigation, if this is proved, stern action will have to be taken, the law will have to take its course, they are no sacred cows as far as I’m concerned, we do not tolerate such things and I expect people who know me to act exemplary.”