GOOD statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD: Secretary-General and Member of Parliament
01 March 2022
In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Queen Gertrude utters the immortal line, “The Lady doth protest too much, methinks”, in response to the insincere overacting of a character.
Queen Gertrude would no doubt have passed similar judgement on today’s media release by Premier of the Western Cape Alan Winde on the removal of sex predator Albert Fritz from the provincial cabinet.
The Premier pronounces himself “extremely angry” at Fritz.
But despite taking up several pages to vent his anger, Winde fails to account for appointing Fritz to his provincial “cabinet of integrity” in the first place. He doesn’t explain how Fritz’s misconduct was invisible to the lifestyle audits promised for members of his executive, how Fritz’s misconduct went unnoticed for a number of years – let alone, how the DA saw fit to appoint Fritz as its interim provincial leader after the previous incumbent was exposed as a liar.
The DA must explain itself; particularly its unwillingness to act against dirty members. It must explain the hypocrisy of seeking to manage dirt in its own ranks internally while making a big noise about holding other dirty politicians publicly accountable.
This does not just apply to Fritz, but also to fraud and money-laundering accused City of Cape Town Councillor Nora Grose (who continues to occupy her seat while facing criminal charges), and to George Councillor “Stag” Cronje (who also continues to serve the DA despite unlawfully transferring R350m of the town’s money in a deal that benefitted his investment broker son).
Winde must stop seeking to manage the ghastly Fritz situation. It is not his purview. Fritz’s victims don’t need the Premier’s intervention to lay criminal charges. How was a much-publicised internal investigation necessary to confirm the existence of allegations which have been circulating for years.
The victims are in a predicament because a number of them have jobs that were allegedly facilitated by Fritz and his accomplices. They must decide whether to pursue charges or not. The Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children has offered them its support through the process.
If Winde has evidence of a sex-for-jobs scheme he must share this information with the police, not in media statements.
What Winde must do is reassure parents in the Western Cape that their children are safe seeking internships and/or employment in the provincial government.
He says he is “determined to use this moment to effect the biggest change I can in the Western Cape Government and in our province, so that I make sure that gender-based violence has nowhere to hide”.
We don’t buy Winde’s protestations, but he must be held to account for this commitment.
Media enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD: Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
Cell: 0825183264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Samkelo Mgobozi, GOOD: Media Manager
Cell: 0792315977 (whatsapp)/0829684021 (calls)
Email: samm@forgood.org.za