Philippa Garson
Etienne Marais, a director in the Safety and Security Secretariat found guilty last week of sexually abusing two girls, will face a disciplinary hearing or be dismissed, unless he resigns first.
Marais, chief director of liaison and communication, was found guilty of masturbating in front of two girls, aged seven and 12 at the time, and fondling their private parts. He has yet to be sentenced and intends to appeal.
The case has dragged on for two years and drew top-level politicians into the fray. Minister of Justice Dullah Omar took a personal interest when delays in the case were brought to his attention.
Marais was suspended when the charges were laid, but he continued to advise on policing matters and draw his R250 000-a- year salary. This raised the ire of many, including Gauteng Safety and Security MEC Jesse Duarte, who took up the matter with Minister of Safety and Security Sydney Mufamadi.
The Child Abuse Action Group lodged formal complaints with Secretary of Safety and Security Azhar Cachalia, accusing the department of “breaking his suspension”.
Cachalia said there was “nothing secret about it. We found a way of making use of his services without undermining the spirit of his suspension.”
Cachalia said he was disappointed at the verdict, “but at the same time I have to accept the conviction”. He described Marais as a talented and intelligent individual who had “made a great contribution to the country”. Nevertheless, said Cachalia, he would have to “at the very least institute an inquiry against him”. He hoped the verdict “eased the pain” of the mother and her children.
Many rallied behind Marais when the Mail & Guardian ran a prominent story raising questions about the “molester in the ministry” two years ago. Angry readers threatened to cancel their subscriptions and ethical debates raged about whether the media treatment had been fair. In political circles, there was strong division between those who supported and those who shunned Marais.
The mother, who was Marais’s lover for five years, said: “For me it is over. Justice was finally done. I would not have been able to explain it to my children if he had got off.”