Cape Town - President Jacob Zuma has kicked Marius Fransman to the kerb.
And it could be years before Fransman returns to leading the ANC in the Western Cape.
On Monday, African National Congress Secretary General Gwede Mantashe announced that Fransman will be replaced while the party and police investigate allegations of sexual harassment against him.
The ANC has also officially suspended Western Cape secretary Faiez Jacobs pending the outcome of the assault case against him.
Jacobs allegedly assaulted a researcher in his office.
The decisions come after the ANC National Working Committee, or Top Six, including president Jacob Zuma flew into Cape Town to sort out the provincial administration.
After a meeting on Monday morning, Mantashe announced that two ANC leaders will come to the Western Cape to take over while investigations continue.
Mantashe did not name the new ANC leadership of the Western Cape.
Fransman has denied sexual harassment allegations made by a 20-year old office worker, and claimed there was a political conspiracy to oust him.
The NEC’s drastic measures comes in the wake of local government elections this year, although the ANC has said that the Western Cape scandals won’t affect their chances at the ballot box as the party gears up to try and take over the province from the Democratic Alliance.
Read: ANC must stop protecting criminals: DA
Fransman, who has not even been charged yet, will find cold comfort in the fact that fellow ANC leader Tony Yengeni’s drunk driving court case has been dragging on for three years.
Political analyst, Daniel Silke, believes Fransman has been asked to step aside to make way for someone who can win over voters in the DA stronghold.
“He has not managed to ignite fire in people of the Western Cape to bring them to the ANC,” Silke says.
Read: ANC cracks whip on Fransman, Jacobs
“His position is more vulnerable because I don’t think he has been vital in his position. This [forced leave] has come late in the day in the run up to the local election because this issue is one that is very close to the voters,” adds Silke.
“The big question is can the ANC appoint a new leader who will be able in this short space of time to unite the different factions in the party and draw in supporters from the DA?”
Daily Voice
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