Police have obtained statements from former Kaya FM station manager Greg Maloka’s colleagues in the sexual harassment and intimidation case opened against him by his former co-worker, Tsholo Lethoko.
Africa Daily can exclusively reveal that the men in blue have questioned and obtained statements from Maloka’s colleagues, including Lethoko’s former bosses at United Stations, an entity responsible for selling advertising for Kaya FM.
Lethoko, who was a brand manager at United Stations at the time Maloka allegedly sexually harassed her in 2011, opened a case against him at Mondeor Police Station last week.
The case was subsequently transferred to Rosebank Police Station before its management moved it to Norwood Police Station, which has jurisdiction over the matter.
The Norwood police station commander assembled a team of detectives led by Sergeant LN Mashele, who paid a visit to Maloka’s office at the United Stations headquarters in Houghton, north of Joburg on Tuesday before midday.
A deep throat, who did not want to be named, alleged that the detectives arrived at the entity’s premises and asked whether Maloka was present.
The mole alleged that when they did not find him, they proceeded to interview potential witnesses whom Lethoko had mentioned in the affidavit she deposed to, in which she detailed her alleged ordeal at the hands of Maloka.
The tipster alleged that after the cops questioned several employees about the allegations , they left the premises.
Another informant also confirmed that police went to the United Stations premises on Tuesday looking for Maloka.
“But they did not find him. They took statements from the other executives and left afterwards,” said the source.
The source further said that after leaving the premises, the cops phoned Maloka and asked to interview him.
However, Maloka allegedly told them that he would rather go to the police station to give them a warning statement and instead of being questioned at his offices.
The allegations against Maloka stem from an incident Lethoko says occurred in 2011, when she was working as a brand manager at United Stations.
In a statement seen by Africa Daily, Lethoko detailed a series of alleged incidents involving Maloka, dating back to 2011 when she was working as a brand manager at United Stations, the company responsible for selling advertising for Kaya FM at the time.
She alleges that Maloka made unwanted sexual advances towards her and that his treatment of her became increasingly hostile after she spurned those coital advances.
Lethoko alleged that one of the alleged incidents happened on March 3, 2011, during a weekly status meeting at United Stations’ offices.
She said Maloka’s conduct towards her during the meeting and customary greetings afterwards made her uncomfortable.
“Greg Maloka was engaged with me in an uncomfortable and inappropriate way, hugging me too tightly and whispering inappropriate and unwelcome compliments in my ear, much to my discomfort and disdain,” she said in her statement.
Lethoko alleges that the behaviour continued during work-related events and after-hours engagements.
She described another alleged incident on May 12, 2011, after a team dinner at the Southern Sun Elangeni and Maharani hotel.
According to Lethoko, she asked her colleague Michelle Randall to accompany her to her hotel room because she anticipated that Maloka might contact her.
She says Maloka called shortly after they entered the room and that she put the call on speakerphone so Randall could listen.
Lethoko alleges that Maloka asked whether he could come to her room or whether she could go to his.
She sneezed at the suggestion, after which she says the conversation ended unpleasantly.
Lethoko claims she subsequently reported the incident to her bosses and that Randall was able to corroborate the conversation she had heard.
She also alleges that Maloka became verbally aggressive towards her during a weekly status meeting at Kaya FM’s offices in Parktown North.
According to Lethoko, he insulted and belittled her and threatened to cancel the United Stations contract because , saying he was unhappy with the company’s performance.
She says she told him to stop shouting at her and pointed out that she was not the appropriate person to discuss contractual concerns with.
Lethoko further alleges that Maloka later moved daytime meetings to evenings at the Hyatt in Rosebank.
She says she had told Maloka and her bosses that she did not like attending pow wows after hours because she had an infant at home.
However, she alleges that she continued attending because she feared losing her job or being accused of insubordination.
According to her statement, Maloka would allegedly invite her to remain behind for drinks after some of the meetings.
She claims that when she declined, he would call her a “prude” and laugh at her.
She says colleague Mark Mdela was present during some of these occasions and attempted to ease the tension caused by Maloka’s alleged unsavoury comments.
In another alleged incident on November 11, 2011, Lethoko says she asked to speak to Maloka privately in his office because she wanted to appeal to him to stop what she describes as sexual harassment.
She says she reminded him that she knew his wife personally and asked him to stop making sexual advances towards her.
According to Lethoko, Maloka laughed off her concerns, rubbed his leg or foot against hers and allegedly suggested that they could keep a proposed adulterous affair secret.
She rejected the proposition and left the office, she says.
Lethoko described the encounter as deeply distressing.
“Greg Maloka simply laughed this off, rubbed his leg/foot against mine and said he wouldn’t tell anyone if I didn’t, that I could keep his proposed sordid affair with me a secret,” she said.
She alleges that she left the office in tears and subsequently called her friend Lebone Malaka to vent about what had happened.
On November 25, 2011, Lethoko says she told her boss, Rivak Bunce, that she could no longer work under the conditions and was not prepared to endure further alleged sexual harassment without serious action being taken.
She claims Bunce told her that complaints about Maloka were widespread and that the board was investigating allegations relating to sexual harassment and alleged financial mismanagement.
Lethoko says she eventually approached three men she believed Maloka respected — Thabang Ramogase, Nhlanhla Mbele and Ciko Thomas — and pleaded with them to intervene.
According to her statement, Ramogase later told her that the three men had spoken to Maloka and that he had allegedly claimed to have stopped his behaviour and apologised.
Lethoko disputes that account, saying Maloka never extended an olive branch to her.
She claims his alleged conduct only stopped after the intervention of the three men.
Lethoko eventually resigned from United Stations in December 2011, saying the situation had taken a serious toll on her.
“My mental and emotional wellbeing had taken such a beating I could no longer trust or wait for investigations into the matter,” she said.
She said she felt her complaints had not been taken seriously and that she had reached a point where she believed she needed to leave the organisation.
Maloka resigned from Kaya FM in 2020 when the station was investigating allegations of sexual harassment and financial misconduct against him. The investigations, conducted by respected lawyer Brenda Madumise, concluded that Maloka violated the station’s sexual harassment policy and placed the station at the risk of litigation and reputational damage.
However, despite the findings, Maloka was rehired by the current board chaired by Connie Molusi as executive commercial partner for United Stations.
Molusi had not responded to our questions at the time of publication.
Gauteng Police Spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko confirmed the matter . “ Statements have been obtained, and once the investigation is concluded, the docket will be submitted to the senior public prosecutor for a decision, “ she said.
