Former Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) chief executive Farai Zizhou has been ordered by the High Court to pay his ex-personal assistant Rita Marque Mbatha US$180 000 damages for sexual harassment.
This follows a spirited fight by Mbatha over the past two decades after she was sexually harassed by Zizhou during her time of employment with the CZI.
Mbatha had claimed US$500 000 from both Zizhou and CZI. However the law suit against the CZI is yet to be finalised.
In delivering his judgment, High Court judge, Justice Martin Mafusire said he was impressed by how Mbatha pressed on against all odds.
She said Mbatha, now an International Alliance representative, and human rights advocate was a strong woman who had fought for justice.
She worked at the CZI between 2002 and 2003 and Zizhou made sexual advances to her.
Mbatha alleged sexual harassment of female employees at CZI was rampant, and said Zizhou was the sole culprit.
“The sexual harassment was over some nine months. It started when she was still on probation. She got employed by the second defendant in September 2002.
“She got fired in July 2003. It was an unfair dismissal. The first defendant (Zizhou) engineered it all. He schemed it. She had reported him for sexual harassment. He took revenge.
“The charges were inappropriate touching, unwelcome offensive jokes, invitation by innuendo to an inappropriate sexual relationship, receiving offensive telephone messages, receiving pornography on the computer, an attempt to kiss by force, causing an injury on the thigh in the process of resisting,” reads the judgement.
