ANC vows not to rest until full Fritz report is made public

Cape Town - The ANC in the Western Cape said it will keep on fighting for the release of the full report that led to the firing of Albert Fritz as MEC of Community Safety last month.

The Weekend Argus revealed last month that Fritz himself does not have access to the full report and the premier is not willing to make the report publicly available.

“The Premier is not able to make available the full report,” said Odette Cason from the office of Premier Alan Winde.

“This follows an agreement with the complainants to this effect. The report contains very detailed accounts of the allegations, which would enable the complainants to be identified. To prevent secondary victimisation, and to not disempower the complainants, the Premier will respect this agreement,” she said.

But the ANC is having none of it, accusing the DA of prioritising factional battles. Provincial legislature member Mesuli Kama said given the gender-based violence pandemic bedevilling the country, that the DA has been rocked by allegations of sexual misconduct by its male members in recent weeks, and the Advocate’s conclusions, they are adamant that the Williams report must be released.

“No amount of obfuscation and spin-doctoring by the premier will stop us. We want that report to be released so that we and the public will know how deep the rot of GBV is in the provincial government. This is not about scoring political points: this is about exposing DA's hypocrisy because we believe senior party members knew about what Fritz is alleged to have done for years but chose not to act,” he said.

Kama said because of their (senior party members) deliberate silence, young women were left at the mercy of an alleged sexual predator.

“We believe senior party members, including those in the DA’s Mitchells Plain office, aided and abetted Fritz.

“We will not rest until all involved have been exposed and, where necessary, charged, brought before the court and sentenced. Fritz must also have his day in court. We understand the trauma of his victims,” he said.

Fritz told the Weekend Argus that he would also like to have the full report to study.

Winde revealed this week that the department of the premier’s legal services programme spent R161 460 on the investigation. He also said he has instituted a review of the province’s 11-year-old sexual harassment policy.

“We need to ensure the whole system is strengthened, taking into account the fact that this case happened so that any loopholes are closed,” he said in a written response to Kama.

“This review should include external consultation with specialists in sexual misconduct matters so that we ensure that we have the best possible policy in South Africa.”

The Premier is yet to announce a permanent replacement for Fritz.

Weekend Argus