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The Western Cape legislature will continue to pursue its investigation into Marius Fransman, the Western Cape ANC’s chairperson who resigned from the legislature on Friday.
Fransman announced his resignation a day after the Western Cape High Court dismissed his application to avoid appearing before the legislature’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) to account for hundreds of millions of rands paid to consultants by Western Cape departments under the ANC government.
A report released by the Auditor General in January 2014 and which covered 11 consultancy projects at the Department of Health with contracts or payments amounting to R625 million; and 20 consultancy projects at the Department of Transport and Public Works with contracts or payments amounting to R328 million – during the financial years of 2005 to 2010 – found that the appointment of consultancies was either seriously flawed and or badly managed or both.
Fransman was the Western Cape provincial Minister of Transport and Public Works between 2005 and July 2008 and his comrade Pierre Uys was the Health MEC.
When Fransman and Uys were called in to explain the expenditure they resisted and did not pitch for two Scopa meetings that were set aside for their hearing.
They eventually attended a Scopa meeting in April 2014 but refused to take the oath or witness affirmation and ultimately walked out before the probe began.
Fransman argued that it was unusual for MECs to be called to account at a Scopa meeting, and suggested that administrative heads of departments should be called to answer as they were involved in the signing of contracts and financial management of the departments.
At the time Fransman was the deputy minister of International Relations in President Jacob Zuma’s executive.
On Friday, DA Chief Whip in the Western Cape legislature, Mark Wiley, said both the national and Western Cape provincial Constitution make provision for any committee of the legislature to summons any person.
“We should expect this to happen. It will take time but it will happen. The wheels of justice turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine,” said Wiley.
Fransman said he resigned as a member of the Western Cape legislature because his decision to return to the legislature to fight alongside the poor and the downtrodden was being curtailed by the ongoing ANC internal turmoil, infighting and factions which made it near impossible to execute his duties.
“I can no longer justify a salary without the mechanism to deliver on my calling,” added Fransman.
