Maybe it’s because I am a woman. It may even be because I am black. All I know right now is that, over the past few months, this disciplinary committee has tried hard to tear apart my side of the story so much so that I even began to doubt that it actually happened at all. Before I tell you what happened between 8th to 25th June 2020, I would like to tell you a little bit about myself.
My name is Phelile Mahlalela but my friends call me Pheli. I cannot even remember when or why they started calling me that but I like it. Like all young people, after I completed my higher diploma in tourism and hospitality, the sky was my limit. I knew that I would immediately land myself a job with one of the big five hotels in Cape Town – read Emperor Hotel in Sandton. After my parents passed away, my grandparents took me in and brought me up as their daughter rather than granddaughter and so I wanted them to also enjoy the fruits of their labour.