By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has confirmed that the allegations against suspended MEC Albert Fritz are related to cases of sexual misconduct.
In a statement on Sunday, Winde said his decision followed consultations with legal experts on the matter.
“I have accordingly sought guidance from both our legal services unit and from Advocate Jennifer Williams when we met this past Thursday to hand over the case for investigation. I have since confirmed that, provided I receive permission from all the complainants who brought their allegations to me in confidence, it will be possible to confirm the nature of the allegations in question,” he said.
“Late on Friday I received such permission. I am therefore now able to confirm that the serious allegations against MEC Fritz relate to sexual misconduct.”
Fritz, his spokesperson, Wade Seale, the head of the community safety ministry, David Abrahams, support officer Michael Kwaaiman, and another official, Lazola Ndubela, have been suspended, pending the investigation.
It is understood that the complainants – most of them interns in Fritz’s office and others involved in the Expanded Public Works Programme – implicated several colleagues who work in the ministry in alleged acts of grooming and of intoxicating victims before they were allegedly sexually abused.
This week Williams was appointed to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations against Fritz, while the police also announced on Thursday that they had launched an investigation into him, although no criminal charges had been filed.
He also thanked the victims for their bravery and approaching his office.
“I have deep respect for the people who have come forward, for their persons, for their privacy, and for the braveness they have shown, and do not feel it is fitting to expose further details about what has allegedly been inflicted upon them. I would encourage others to show similar restraint. We must think of the people who came forward first, and not seek to cause them further harm, or in fact endanger them, through our actions,” he said.
The investigation is expected to be completed in the next 14 days.