Cape Town - Mayco member for Safety and Security JP Smith has revealed to the Weekend Argus that a woman approached him recently with serious allegations against the provincial safety boss Albert Fritz.
Fritz, the Western Cape Community Safety MEC and provincial DA leader, was suspended yesterday following serious allegations of sexual assault levelled against him.
“It was brought to my attention by the complainant and I said these are the correct channels to follow,” revealed Smith.
He said he was not involved other than showing the complainant where to report the allegations.
“I stayed clear and just showed the complainant the right channels. I believe she has followed the correct channels and the matter is being dealt with.”
There are reports of other victims whose cases were never taken seriously or seen as an attempt to discredit Fritz.
Premier Alan Winde announced’s Fritz suspension last night without going into the details of what led to the suspension. Asked for an update about the matter and whether cases had been opened with the South African Police Service, Odette Cason an official at the Premier’s office said: “The Premier has always taken the stance on being as open and transparent as possible with the citizens of the Western Cape.”
“We understand that there are many questions around the suspension of Minister Fritz, however, at this stage, we cannot divulge further information on the matter, until an independent investigator has determined the full extent of the allegations and their veracity.
“It would be unfair to the persons who made those allegations to the Premier, under requests for confidentiality, and indeed the Minister too, for the Premier to provide details of what is being investigated, the publication of which may well severely compromise the investigation itself.”
When called for comment Fritz said he could not talk.
An activist who asked not to be named until a case is officially opened against the MEC, claimed Fritz had been a sex pest for years.
“I have waited for years for this day. He has been slipping through and getting away. He is clever and cases in the past never reached this stage. I will talk about him once everything is officially confirmed but I have been waiting for this day.”
Fritz has asked to be excused as the DA’s provincial leader and the party has reportedly agreed to the request. The Weekend Argus understands that deputy Leader, Minister Tertuis Simmers will be the acting leader. The DA had promised to respond to questions but failed to do so at the time of publication.
Weekend Argus