Marius Fransman reinstated as ANC Western Cape leader

21 July 2016

Johannesburg - Western Cape ANC leader Marius Fransman is back in his job after being suspended for alleged sexual harassment, a party official said on Thursday.

"He is here, he is working. He is back as the party leader. Nothing has changed," ANC head of elections Nomvula Mokonyane told News24, before she ended the call.

Fransman had been accused of sexually harassing 21-year-old Louisa Wynand while they were travelling to the party's January 8 celebrations in Rustenburg.

The City Press newspaper previously reported that the ANC’s integrity commission found Fransman had brought the ANC into disrepute. This was according to a report the commission had compiled and which was leaked to the newspaper.

The commission recommended that Fransman immediately step down from all elected positions in the party.

Fransman earlier told News24 that he had not received any notification from the integrity commission that its report had been completed. He said the leak of the report was an "outrageous breach" of ANC protocol and had tarnished the party’s image.

"I didn't expect this from an internal structure of the organisation that is supposed to uphold the organisational protocols," he said.

He called on the commission to provide him with its findings.

The sexual harassment case against Fransman was sent to the Northern Cape's Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), after the DPP in North West decided not to proceed with the case, due to insufficient evidence.

The Northern Cape DPP had some queries, and had sent the docket back to the investigating officer.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Luvuyo Mfaku said on Thursday that they had not yet received the docket back from the investigating officer.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.