Cape Town - Troubled ANC Western Cape chairman Marius Fransman says the law must run its course after Northern Cape police confirmed a renewed probe into sexual harassment allegations levelled against him in January.
Louisa Wynand, 21, the woman at the centre of the harassment saga, laid a charge against Fransman after accusing him of touching her inappropriately while travelling with him in his car to the ANC’s birthday celebrations in Rustenburg.
The Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West Province said last month it declined to prosecute the case because of insufficient evidence, but did forward the docket to their Northern Cape counterparts for consideration.
NPA spokesperson Luvuyo Mfaku confirmed the Northern Cape police were probing the allegation.
“The DPP in the Northern Cape received the docket on May 27 A senior official instructed police to probe allegations that originated in their province and the docket will then be returned for a final decision to prosecute or not,” Mfaku added.
Reacting to the probe, Fransman said it was clear there was a concerted effort to run a trial by media against him.
“I have stated from the beginning that I am not guilty of the allegations of assault and/or sexual harassment. I also said that the law must take its course,” he said.
He said he was confident that the pending Northern Cape investigation would come to the same conclusion as their North West counterparts and decline to prosecute.
Regarding the flirtatious WhatsApp exchange between himself and the complainant, which surfaced in the media, Fransman said the messages did not change anything. The only people I have to account to are those close to me. Just as the complainant has rights, so does the accused, one of which is the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“It is a sad reality that through the consistent media leaks of biased information, I am not being afforded the rights as listed in the Constitution,” he added.
Fransman’s legal representative, Mushtak Parker said if the DPP Northern Cape did decide to prosecute, it would be in the best interest of all concerned, and in particular his client, that the prosecution take place sooner rather than later.
“Our client’s life, as well as that of the complainant has been very adversely affected by these events, and closure is as necessary for him as it is for the complainant,” he added.
Wynand said the Kimberley police had made contact with her last week and she was “confident with the way that investigation is going,” she said.
Wynand spokesman Gavin Prins confirmed that the WhatsApp messages between Wynand and Fransman during the time of the incident were those published in the media.
Cape Argus