ANC suspends Marius Fransman
The ANC's National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) has found Western Cape provincial chairperson, Marius Fransman, guilty on two counts of misconduct.
The NDC suspended his ANC membership for 5 years.
Fransman has been found guilty of abusing his office for the purpose of attempting to obtain a sexual favour from Louisa Wynand and for making public statements which brought the ANC into disrepute.
Fransman made headlines after Wynand accused him of fondling her on their way to the ruling party's birthday celebrations in January this year.
The NDC says Fransman showed no understanding of one of the fundamental objectives of the ANC, that being the support for and advancement of women's emancipation.
"As a provincial leader in the ANC he should have known about the triple oppression of South African women and the giant strides being made by the ANC to accord women their rights and help them to overcome their oppression," the ANC says in a statement.
The NDC says Fransman also misled the public when he said that he did not receive documents to enable him to prepare for his disciplinary hearing.
"He was given all the relevant documents he needed to prepare his defence," says the ANC.
According to the NDC, there is no room in the ANC for leaders and members, irrespective of position or seniority, who show scant regard for the values and objectives of the ANC and who consciously choose to define themselves outside the organisation.
"The charged member did not attend the hearing and showed no remorse for his misconduct," says the ANC.