Cape Town – Fired Western Cape Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz has reportedly resigned from his position as party leader in the province amid a sexual misconduct scandal.
According to News24, this comes after Fritz was given 24 hours to provide the Democratic Alliance (DA) with reasons why he should not be suspended.
“The DA in the Western Cape notes the resignation of Albert Fritz as provincial leader and as a member of the party. This means that the provincial leader position is vacant and will be filled at the next provincial council meeting scheduled for May 2022,” the report quoted DA Western Cape provincial chairperson Jaco Londt as saying.
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Fritz sent his resignation letter to the chairperson of the federal council, Helen Zille, on Tuesday after the party referred his case to the DA federal legal council, Times Live reported.
Deputy provincial leader Tertius Simmers, who is also MEC for human settlements, will continue as acting leader until the election, the report said.
Earlier, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said he had fired Fritz from his position, with “immediate effect” after an independent probe found sufficient evidence in the allegations of sexual misconduct against Fritz.
“This morning I informed Albert Fritz of my decision to remove him from the provincial executive cabinet, effective immediately.
This morning I informed Albert Fritz of my decision to remove him from the provincial executive cabinet, effective immediately.
You can read my full statement here: https://t.co/QyeDHkOESY pic.twitter.com/fxvrCuTNbY
— Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) March 1, 2022
“I made this decision after receiving a report from Advocate Jennifer Williams following the finalisation of her independent investigation to test the veracity of several allegations that were made against him, which led to his suspension last month.
“The investigation report was submitted to me on Sunday evening. I have considered the content, and a meeting with Adv Williams and our own legal team took place yesterday afternoon, where we discussed it and I sought further clarity,” Winde said in a statement.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
