/ 11 July 2016

‘I had to find out from the media’ says an outraged Marius Fransman about the ANC’s integrity committee findings

Marius Fransman may be voted out as the ANC provincial chairperson.
Marius Fransman may be voted out as the ANC provincial chairperson.

The leader of the ANC in the Western Cape on Sunday said the fact that findings from his party’s integrity committee had appeared in a media report before he’d been notified was an “outrageous breach of ANC protocol”.

Marius Fransman, in a statement, said it was appalling that an article in City Press newspaper had revealed the content of the findings of the ANC’s integrity committee that had looked into his sexual harassment matter.

“It is with emphatic appal that I have learned today from the media some of the content of the apparent findings of the ANC’s integrity committee in the matter of an unsubstantiated ‘sexual harassment’ complaint against me, without having received any notification whatsoever from the committee myself.”

ANC brought into disrepute

Fransman said it was an “outrageous breach of ANC protocol and principle” that brought the ANC into disrepute and tarnished the image of the party.

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

City Press reported on Sunday that it had obtained a copy of the integrity commission’s findings on the sexual harassment charges levelled against Fransman.

Reliable testimony

Louisa Wynand accused Fransman of sexual harassment while they travelled to the North West in January for the ANC’s birthday rally in Rustenburg. He has denied the claim. She had just started working for Fransman as an events and public relations manager at his hospitality business.

According to the report, the commission now wants Fransman to relinquish all elected positions and not be eligible for election to any ANC structure for two years. It made this finding based on its view that Wynand’s testimony was reliable.

The commission reportedly said its main concern was that his actions brought the party into disrepute.

Fransman called on the committee to provide him with its full findings. – News24