Unions (ZCTU) General Secretary Roy Mwaba
Labour and Social Security Minister Fackson Shamenda has dismissed assertions that he is shielding Games Stores Manager Vincent Palan who is facing numerous charges of sexual harassment.
Mr. Shamenda says he cannot shield someone who is committing crimes and who has already been arrested by the Police after he himself instructed officials from his Ministry to investigate THE alleged sexual harassment of female employees at Games Stores in Lusaka.
In an interview with Qfm news Mr. Shamenda says if it was true that he was shielding Mr. Palan from prosecution, the Game Stores manager was not going sleep in Police cells after he was arrested.
He says this is why he thinks that people suggesting that he is shielding Mr. Palan are only being malicious.
The Labor and Social Security Minister has also clarified that he is not a personal friend of Mr. Palan like it has been suggested in some media reports.
He says his relationship with Mr. Palan was based on business only as does not actually know Mr. Palan that much to consider him as a personal friend.
Mr. Shamenda says it is for this reason that he also thought that each time Mr. Palan attended to him personally when doing his shopping on Wednesdays and Thursdays at Game Stores, Mr. Palan was only trying to be courteous.
your relationship with palan was based on business? what business? Fcuking kids?
Bale kongwe shanya utwa iche
I understand Pelan not only used to give this man discounts, but he also used to push the old man trolley whenever he would go to game stores
Ba PF officials bonse ubufi bweka bwekafye pakanwa
Mr ****son you have very useless friends just for the sake of getting cheap things from these foreign shops now you are being exposed. Shame on you.
He is not guilt till proved guilt. You people just have the hurt for palan. The lady fabricated the story, no substance in it.
evidence in the matter will tell how many witnesses are there.?
But files and dockets are already doing vanishing acts. There’s truth in what Palan said about being connected, question is; who is he connected to if it isn’t the highest honcho in labour ministry?
Me ****son you have been exposed stop asking for things from these foreigners.
Poor Shamenda, even though he is PF from his disorganised hair to his toe nails, the die hard zealots on this column are not coming to his support. I have in mind here people like Gen, Saulosi, Mushota, Peter etc. By the way, where is Kudos, has he gone extinct like the skull that used to show on his profile?
All senior members of staff who have impregnated junior members of staff within the same companies should be charged for sexually abusing the ladies. This company incest should be reduced to zero.
Sadly employment these days is based on looks, male bosses are employing ladies on how big their behinds are not how big their thinking capacities are and as a result we are having these problems. I have seen too many ladies who have children with their married bosses and workmates in companies like Airtel, Mtn. Pick n Pay, Shoprite and in govt just to mention a few.
Abena Zambia ukusabaila!!
Mr shamenda, you were in zctu as president and you seemed to fighting for the workers but alas you were enhancing your political career. I expected you to fight for the workers when you assumed the office of influence, give guidance other ministers like Mr Kambwili and the rest but that is not happening.
Any after union bones twakulayafye Kuma politics and with a hefty gratuity (K500,000,000) which some ordinary Zambians will never get even if they worked for fifty years in their lifetime. Shame really.
SEXUAL HARRASSMENT?? MY FOOT THE MAN PAYS THEM AND ALSO GIVES THEM JOBS THAT PF HAS FAILED TO GIVE, HE IS BETTER THAT PROMISES OF EMPTY JOBS
JUST FIRE THIS ODL TIRED GREEDY, TRAITOR FOOLISH SHAMENDA. HE IS OF NO USE TO ZAMBIANS IN THE LABOUR SECTOR. HE CANT PROTECT US. NDOLA CENTRAL 2016, SHAMENDA MUST LOOSE. WE SHALL VOTE AN OPPOSITION MP.
JUST FIRE THIS OLD TIRED GREEDY, TRAITOR FOOLISH SHAMENDA. HE IS OF NO USE TO ZAMBIANS IN THE LABOUR SECTOR. HE CANT PROTECT US. NDOLA CENTRAL 2016, SHAMENDA MUST LOOSE. WE SHALL VOTE AN OPPOSITION MP.
It’s hard to look at this man.
…no surprise…its biblical…..even Jesus was denied three times by one of his ‘close friends’……….just because he was in trouble….
The courts will determine Palan’s guilt as for Shamenda these are the minister’s that are letting the PF govt down, but it should also be brought to light that ALOT of sexual harrasment of young ladies occurs in Zambia Police, Army, ZNS, ZAF and the Prisons Service by senior officers, it is a terrible culture which started in the UNIP days. I hope this case will also bring attention to the wider subject of sexual harrasment in these govt wings which has remained silent for too long.
I think its despicable that we have a large number of Zambian men ( I have read their sentiments and talked to some ) who take sexual harassment and assault so lightly. Its pathetic that in this time and age you should still view women as objects meant to satisfy your sexual pervasions and depravations. A lot of such cases in Zambia occur in the homes, schools and workplaces and some people think its normal. I know we are animals, but I thought we were so socialised and cultured as to refrain from these primal behaviours.
Shamenda is a dumb person. Look at his face. You will know that he doesnt know anything
From the above comments it clear that sexual harassment is real. This issue should be discussed along with GBV by all concerned parties and lasting solution to be put in place. It’s sad that NGOs are silent on such an issue. Is it that they are also affected?
so if he was your friend you would shield him,right?
Sexual favours by female employees to their male bosses is very common in most organisations, including government in Zambia. The sad part is that even cabinet ministers and the entire political leadership are involved. The Game Stores man was just unfortunate because the victim was bold enough to bring it out in the open. Otherwise it is happening everywhere and the NGOs responsible for women’s rights must take this very seriously and go a bit further and find out what is obtaining on the ground. Sometimes women have found themselves in very vulnerable situations where they have no choice but to succumb to sexual advances by their supervisors in order to keep their jobs. It’s really sad and something must be done. Some women it’s just a habit because they want power.
Kindly read item 9. I do not and will never support men (especially married ) who sexually abuse women. Women are our mothers and should be given the respect they deserve. Now that we have identified this as a serious problem, what is the way forward.
very sad that palan even spent a night in the cells. These allegations cannot be proven. Before an arrest warrant is given the grand jury have to be presented with evidence and in most cases forensic to connect the suspect to the victim. In this case anyone of us can succumb to this kind treatment even when it’s just a rumour.
I personally witnessed Palan’s verbal abuse. I’m not shocked to hear that he was even sexually abusing female employees too. I have nothing to do with Palan, I don’t hate him or like him. I’m writing as a former Walmart employee not Game When I worked at Game Store for a period of one month during my vacation in Zambia. Palan was very abusive to his employees. Game Store Lusaka to me felt like a Concentration Camp. He managed by intimidation. If one has done a good psychology he/she would definitely be able to tell there was more to his type of management. It’s sad to read other people saying that the female employees fabricated the stories. People of Zambia need to be educated abuse is a very serious crime be it verbal or sexual and Walmart for one does not condone such.