Over the next couple of days, Mrs Seretsi asked more and more favours from Sipho.

“Just remember, you are not Mrs Seretsi’s personal assistant,” Mrs Karabo told Sipho firmly. “It’s not in your job description.”

But that is not what Mrs Seretsi thought. She needed an assistant and Sipho would be perfect. Word around the office was that Mrs Seretsi had self-appointed quite a number of young male assistants over the years. But Sipho kept thinking of the promotion she had offered him. He really wanted to rise in sales – that’s where the money was.

Mrs Seretsi was a boss, and Sipho had to do what she said. But he did feel awkward and a little resentful when she asked him to collect her laundry one day. Then the very next day things got even stranger when she called him into her office and asked him to close the door and lower the blinds.

“I have had a very stressful week,” she told him. “What I need is to calm my nerves so that I can work properly. I can’t afford the time to go out for a proper massage at the spa. But it would really ease my tension if you could help me to get rid of these terrible knots in my back and my neck.”

“I don’t understand,” Sipho hesitated.

“Oh,” said Mrs Seretsi, “it’s really not a big deal. I hear there are people who come around the offices and give neck and shoulder massages at one’s desk. But I really haven’t got time to book an appointment now. You don’t mind, do you?”

He shook his head. As he began to massage her shoulders she sighed, “That’s perfect.” Then she whispered, “In the steel industry, there is so much stress, and some of us become like steel ourselves. What we need is the human touch.”

It felt wrong to Sipho, wrong deep down in his gut. This wasn’t the same as when his brother or mother asked him to rub them somewhere with Deep Heat, to relax the muscles. But he told himself he would do it just this once. Get it over with as quickly as he could.

What would his girlfriend Lesedi think of this?

He looked down at Mrs Seretsi’s desk. She had taken the phone off the hook – so there was no chance of being interrupted!

But then there was a knock on the door. “Oh no!” Mrs Seretsi flinched. Sipho quickly backed away from her, just as Mrs Karabo opened the door.

“What is it now? I told you all that I’m not to be bothered if the door is closed,” Mrs Seretsi complained, but Sipho noticed how she couldn’t look Mrs Karabo in the eye.

Sipho knew: Mrs Karabo had come to his rescue. “I have some of Sipho’s clients here with me. He’s dealt with them a few times telephonically. I thought he might want to meet them.”

“Oh. Well, yes, that’s good. You go my boy, go meet your people,” said Mrs Seretsi, dismissing Sipho. He was so grateful to get out of there that he nearly tripped over computer cords on his way out. How fortunate that the clients had arrived when they did. As he showed them all the different shapes and sizes of steel available, and some of the scrap as well, he felt like a weight had lifted off his shoulders.

When he was finished with the clients Sipho went straight to Mrs Karabo. “I just want to thank you for pulling me out of the office there with Mrs Seretsi.”

“Yes,” said Mrs Karabo. “She kept you in there far too long. I want you to know that if anything happens with Mrs Seretsi you have the right to report it. Don’t think because she’s the boss that she can get away with anything. There is a higher authority above her!”

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Tell us what you think: Is Mrs Seretsi actually acting illegally?