Equal Education (EE) promotes itself as a movement of South Africans committed to the quality and equality of education. It focuses on youth activism and purports to engage in meaningful campaigns to achieve their goals. This sounds great, but the organization has proven to be corrupted from within. In the past month, EE co-founder Doron Isaacs and prominent member Zackie Achmat were implicated in sexual harassment and abuse of power going back a decade. The facts at hand exhibit a shocking display of hypocrisy and deception. Both men are established members of the NGO and human rights community in South Africa. As will be made evident, both are wholly undeserving of the distinction.
Doron Isaacs (David Harrison/M&G)
Disturbing revelations were published by the Mail & Guardian (M&G) in May that exposed several members of EE for offenses of sexual harassment. Figuring most prominently, Doron Isaacs was repeatedly accused. The testimonials were collected through interviews with over a dozen current and former EE staff members. Their testimony reveals a pattern of harassment and intimidation going back almost 10 years. Moreover, it exposes an institutional failure to meaningfully address any allegations during this period.
In this regard, Zackie Achmat was revealed to have personally covered up for Isaacs. Several of Isaacs’ accusers claim that Achmat threatened them directly in the aftermath. The allegations against Isaacs range from digital harassment through sexually suggestive texts, to physical harassment and intimidation. Of course, both Isaacs and Achmat categorically deny the allegations, but their pattern of deception precedes them.
Zackie Achmat (Gallo Images)
In 2011, Isaacs was already implicated in sexual harassment allegations throughout EE. At his immediate defense was Achmat, who lobbied EE’s management to investigate the allegations. He argued that Isaacs is “one of the best leaders of the post-apartheid period,” and that “the organization must consider any request he makes for reparation.” The “investigation” that followed was staffed by admitted friends of Isaacs. In fact, emails obtained by M&G show that Isaacs would host and attend social gatherings with members of the panel investigating him. Unsurprisingly, Isaacs was unconditionally cleared. The investigation was subsequently deemed biased and conducted without due process. Now, even EE’s management are officially requesting that Isaacs be suspended and subjected to a full, independent investigation. Moreover, the management specifically referred to the earlier investigation as ineffective and not independent.
Tshepo Motsepe (Ashleigh Furlong/GroundUp)
Sadly, the culture of abuse of EE does not stop with Isaacs and Achmat. In April, Tshepo Motsepe, the former head of EE, resigned amidst multiple accusations of sexual harassment. EE confirmed the allegations and announced an investigation was forthcoming. In the aftermath, EE staff, both current and former, acknowledged that there is a culture of sexual harassment at the organization. They accused EE of nurturing an environment where victims of abuse are intimidated and threatened to prevent them from coming forward. Tellingly, in a public statement, EE’s national council acknowledged that the problem may be broader than the allegations against just Motsepe. Shortly thereafter, Luyolo Mazwembe, an EE manager, was suspended following allegations of harassment. Mazwembe was accused of offering a job in exchange for sex from a volunteer. News of Isaac’s and Achmat’s activities came to light weeks later.
Luyolo Mazwembe (Twitter)
Following these revelations, other organizations attached to Isaacs and Achmat are sounding the alarm as well. For example, Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), a self-described human rights organization that Achmat co-founded, responded to his involvement in covering up Isaacs’ abuses. Without assigning blame, it too called for an independent inquiry. It should be noted, for self-described “rights” organizations to finally speak up after nearly a decade of allegations, only serves to highlight the hypocrisy while essentially confirming that the allegations are true.
There is no justification, under any circumstances, to engage in or defend acts of sexual harassment. How then, is it possible to defend a decade of repeated allegations made against men who hold themselves to be human rights activists? Unfortunately, this is symbolic of a deeply rooted reality. As the amount of self-identified rights organizations only continue to increase, the activists themselves and their activities inherently become more opaque. It is no secret that rights organizations are all too often used for purposes other than their stated humanitarian objectives. The level of public trust afforded to these groups only serves to make the abuse of power worse. Isaacs and Achmat are certainly extreme examples of this. Not only are the allegations against them of the utmost severity, but they managed to conduct themselves in this manner while maintaining a carefully cultivated image as rights leaders. This reprehensible hypocrisy is indefensible. Exposing such deeply entrenched abuse is necessary.
