eThekwini Municipality staff under investigation for 'hair rubbing' incident
A video of a woman gently rubbing the man’s head in an eThekwini Municipality office is under investigation.
The short video clip surfaced on social media on Thursday, but there was no information on when the incident was recorded, the date, or the office where it occurred.
A member of the public recorded the incident where a man is seated at his desk behind a counter and a woman is standing over his left shoulder. Her left hand is on his shoulder while she uses her right fingers to gently rub the crown area of his head. Her right hand then goes to the front of his forehead and adjusts the hairline.
The man appears to be looking at a computer screen, focused on work. It is also unclear if they are both municipal employees and what were their job designations.
In response to the video circulating on social media, the eThekwini Municipality launched a formal investigation, in accordance with disciplinary and labour relations procedures.
“The video circulating shows two employees engaging in inappropriate conduct while members of the public waited in a service queue. The municipality views this matter seriously as it compromises customer service standards, workplace professionalism, and the dignity of residents accessing municipal services,” the city stated.
The employees involved have been identified. The municipality added that it was committed to professionalism, ethical conduct, and delivering respectful, efficient service to all residents.
“To prevent a recurrence, management has been directed to strengthen customer service protocols, ensure active supervision at service centres, and implement corrective measures.
“The conduct depicted does not reflect the city’s values or the standards expected of its employees,” the city stated.
Members of the public did not hold back with comments relating to the video. Some saw the funny side, with Cameron S Smith writing “ Hair today, gone tomorrow..”
Charl Knoetze said: “Checking for fleas.”
Ndumiso Asoh commented: “I wonder how many investigations have been completed so far”, while Myuri John said: “This is why we have to wait hours in queues. I wonder if the common ‘offline’ excuse is even true. I think they are too lazy to do their assigned jobs.”
zainul.dawood@inl.co.za