Cape Town – The ANC in the Western Cape will be approaching the police to open a case against suspended community safety MEC Albert Fritz.
The party in the province has also called on Premier Alan Winde to remove Fritz from the executive completely and allow law enforcement agencies space to deal with these very serious matters.
Young employees who had worked in Fritz’s office had apparently come forward to shed light on the allegations which relate to sexual assault of his own staff which dates back to last year.
According to a media report four more provincial government officials who were working alongside Fritz have been suspended in connection with the scandal.
Winde suspended Fritz with immediate effect on Sunday. Upon suspension, Winde never disclosed much detail pertaining to the investigation, but merely referred to it as “serious allegations”.
ANC provincial spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni said they would not tolerate this conduct from members of the executive in the province.
Mtsweni said the most disturbing part of the issue was that Fritz had been accorded the role of protecting the communities in the province and creating safe conducive environments particularly for women and children, but instead of playing this role effectively, he is alleged to be a perpetrator of sexually molesting women in exchange for work and other favours.
Winde said this week he had been informed about the allegations in November last year.
“The Premier of the province, who has sat on this information for some time in his quest to manage internal dynamics within the DA, has today arrogated himself the role of being an investigator, prosecutor and judge.
“The revelations that are coming forward through victims of Mr Fritz’s heinous crimes paint a grim picture of GBV and sexual offences which are of a criminal nature. Instead of Winde strictly adhering to the principles of the rule of law by ensuring that appropriate law enforcement agencies deal with this matter, he continues to recklessly undermine the efforts to fight GBV through managing internal politics in the DA,” Mtsweni said.
He added that the party would be heading to the police to open a case and called on the provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile to ensure that this matter is given the necessary attention it deserves.
POLITICAL BUREAU