Sowetan News Online
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Norman Mashabane, the political advisor to Limpopo Premier Sello Moloto, yesterday resigned from his R500 000 a year job to concentrate on clearing his name.
Mashabane, who stayed in the job for only a month, said he thought it would be fitting to vacate the position in the best interests of the public.
He said he found it difficult to deal with the perception that Moloto was being advised by a person with a cloud hanging over his head.
"I will fight and bleed for the truth. I maintain that I am innocent of all the charges levelled against me, and I will leave no stone unturned," he said.
His resignation follows the Pretoria high court ruling on Friday which found him guilty of 22 counts of sexual harassment, which he allegedly committed while he was South Africa's ambassador to Indonesia.
The case has dragged on for almost five years.
He was found guilty by a Department of Foreign Affairs' internal disciplinary hearing. But Mashabane appealed the decision to foreign affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who turned down the guilty verdict.
The Public Service Association challenged Dlamini-Zuma's decision and the matter was finalised on Friday.
"I have asked the premier to relieve me of my responsibilities with immediate effect to give me time to fight my battles and, most importantly, to clear my name."