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Marius Fransman is expected to resume his duties as leader of the ANC in the Western Cape this week.
He was “asked to step aside” after Louisa Wynand laid charges of sexual assault against him in January.
This week, City Press repeatedly tried to contact Fransman for clarity on his plans, but he did not answer his phone or respond to text messages.
Speaking to City Press yesterday, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in North West, Frank Lesenyego, confirmed receiving a letter from Wynand’s attorney, Cariem Jacobs, on Friday.
Lesenyego reiterated that the charges were dropped against Fransman, but declined to say why.
“In the jurisdiction of the North West province, and in particular the Rustenburg area, we have established that we don’t have a prima facie case to take to court,” he said.
When asked about Wynand being informed of this decision via WhatsApp, Lesenyego said the communication issue should be taken up with the police.
“After we decided not to pursue criminal charges, a letter was written to inform the SA Police Service and they were further instructed to despatch said letter to the complainant, advising her of our decision,” he said.
Meanwhile, Fransman’s supporters took to social media to celebrate the announcement.
On Wednesday, the ANC Western Cape’s official Twitter account posted: “Today we celebrate that the charges against Marius Fransman have been dropped! Amandla!” The tweet was soon deleted.
City Press asked deputy and interim ANC Western Cape chairperson Khaya Magaxa for comment on whether Fransman would be reinstated this week, but Magaxa said the issue fell outside of his jurisdiction.
Magaxa insisted that Fransman was never “suspended”, but was merely “asked to step aside”.
At a press conference in January, Fransman said he believed Wynand’s allegations were part of a conspiracy against him: “My view is that it is a multipronged attack, with the major attack point being the court of public opinion.”
Married with two children, Fransman grew up in Blackheath and was head boy when he was in matric at Bishop Lavis Secondary School in 1987.
