GOOD Statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
12 May 2023
The GOOD National Management Committee has resolved to expel two senior party members, Mr Shaun August and Ms Felicity Klazen, from the movement.
August represented the party as its national organizer and a member of the Western Cape Legislature, while Klazen was a councillor and the Deputy Mayor in the Witzenberg Municipality in the Western Cape.
Their expulsion follows year-long investigative and disciplinary processes conducted by independent professionals in the wake of an unexpectedly poor performance in a by-election in Witzenberg last year.
The loss, in a ward in which GOOD expected to excel, represented the party’s first electoral setback since being established in 2019, and winning seats in the National Assembly and Western Cape Legislature a few months later. About 50 GOOD councillors were subsequently elected to serve municipalities across the country.
The Witzenberg setback was quickly followed by complaints received from GOOD members about Klazen and August’s conduct, and a series of negative reports were published in the media. The situation clearly necessitated decisive action by the party.
GOOD followed a meticulous path to ensure fair and due process. Independent professional investigators were appointed, whose pursuit of evidence led them across the Western Cape, to two neighbouring provinces.
When the investigation was concluded late last year, GOOD’s leadership referred the allegations of misconduct to formal disciplinary hearings.
Separate disciplinary processes were conducted into August and Klazen’s alleged misdemeanors after the appointment of an independent Chairperson, an advocate, in accordance with the GOOD Constitution. The cases were “prosecuted” by an independent attorney. Both Klazen and August were represented by attorneys and were given the opportunity to give evidence, call witnesses and present arguments on sanctions.
The hearings concluded that the members were guilty of serious misconduct and had brought GOOD’s reputation into disrepute.
Klazen was suspended from party activities pending the outcome of her internal appeal, while August has five working days to indicate if he plans to appeal.
August was found to be in breach of the Party’s Code of Conduct (Lewd and Shameful Conduct), as well as the Political Party Funding Act.
Out of respect for the processes, those involved and their families, GOOD has refrained from commenting on alleged evidence, false facts and rumours published in the media over the past year. It is noteworthy that some of the published information could only have come from one of Klazen or August.
Integrity is one of the characteristics that sets GOOD apart from other parties.
GOOD remains committed to its over-arching objective to provide a credible alternative to the old colour-coded and corrupt parties that have brought South Africa to the edge but remain desperate to lead.
The lengths the party went to in order to ensure the integrity of the Klazen and August investigative and disciplinary processes came at considerable financial cost.
The outcomes clearly demonstrate that GOOD holds all its members, regardless of seniority, equally responsible for maintaining the movement’s integrity. We don’t know if any other political parties in the country can make this claim.
Media Enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
Cell: 0825183264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Janke Tolmay, GOOD Media Manager
Cell: 0733671223
Email: janke@forgood.org.za