Cape Town – Suspended African National Congress (ANC) Western Cape leader Marius Fransman has resigned his post as a member of the provincial legislature.
In a statement on Friday, Fransman, a former deputy minister in President Jacob Zuma’s government before returning to provincial politics, said while he had resigned from his government job, he had not quit the ANC.
“My decision, in 2013, to return to the Western Cape to fight alongside the poor and the downtrodden, and to address the imbalances between the haves and the have-nots in creating an inclusive society, is being curtailed by the ongoing ANC internal turmoil, infighting and factions, makes it near impossible to execute my duties to ensure the upliftment of my constituents,” he said.
“I can no longer justify a salary without the mechanism to deliver on my calling.”
Fransman’s announcement came a day after he lost a Western Cape High Court bid to avoid appearing before the provincial government’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa).
The provincial Scopa wants him to answer questions on an auditor-general’s report about hundreds of millions of rand spent on consultants by the department of transport and public works, which Fransman was political head of while the ANC was still in power in the province.
Fransman made no mention of this in his statement, insisting that he was returning to party politics in bid to grow the party in the Western Cape. The ANC has seen its support base significantly shrink the provinces over the past few elections.
“The community wants an ANC restored to its former splendour and I believe that I may better answer to my calling by pursuing such an objective. It is my humble submission that the organisation must unify anew,” said Fransman.
“I will dedicate my efforts to rebuild the trust between the people, civil society and the ANC.”
Fransman said he would continue to serve the ANC as “the elected provincial chairperson of the Western Cape”, despite being asked to step aside while the party prepared disciplinary processes against him in relation to sexual harassment allegations that have been levelled against him.
The charges were levelled against him by Louisa Wynand in January this year. Wynand claimed the sexual harrassment happened while she travelled with Fransman as his personal assistant to the ANC’s 104th birthday celebrations in the North West province.
In July, Fransman turned to the Western Cape High Court and was granted an order compelling his party to provide him with the report of an internal integrity commission which investigated the allegations against him.
He later abandoned another court application to get his job back after ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe revealed in court papers that disciplinary processes would follow.
African News Agency