Premier
With regard to the Premier’s decision to suspend the Minister of Community Safety for allegation of serious misconduct:
- (a) What is the number of complaints that he received regarding the matter, (b) when were these received and (c) what are the details of all the steps taken between receiving the complaint or complaints and the date of the suspension of the Minister;
- (a) what is the budget that will be used in the process of investigation, (b) who will pay for it, (c) what are the (i) ages of the complainants and (ii) department or departments in which they worked and (d) what are the (i) time frame and (ii) terms of reference of the investigation;
- whether he and/or any of his Cabinet colleagues and Members of the Western Cape legislature had any prior knowledge of these allegations before they were reported to him; if so, (a) what are the relevant details, (b) when did they know about the allegations and (c) what steps each took to respond to the allegations?
- [a] The number of complaints that were brought to my attention, were raised by 6 different complainants and varied in nature.
[b] On 14 January 2022, and the following days, information was furnished to me and my legal team under oath and in person, which alleged serious misconduct on the part of Minister Albert Fritz.
[c] After considering the content of these accounts and consulting with legal services, I suspended Minister Albert Fritz on 23 January 2022 [9 days later] and requested an independent investigation, through the state attorney’s office, into the veracity of the allegations that had been provided to me. I am awaiting the report by Advocate Jennifer Williams.
- [a] and [b] Funds will be made available from Vote 1 Department of the Premier
[c] [i] [ii] The information requested constitutes personal information which could be used to identify the complainants and given the assurances of confidentiality given to them, I am not at liberty to disclose such information at this time
[d] [i] The time frame for the investigation was left open ended to ensure that Advocate Williams is given sufficient time and space to conduct as thorough an investigation as possible. I have however been informed that the report is nearing completion and will be forthcoming shortly.
[ii] The investigation’s terms of reference mandated Advocate Williams to undertake a fact-finding exercise aimed at determining the veracity of the allegations. The purpose of the investigation is to provide me with as complete a factual picture as possible to enable me to reach a rational decision in respect of the Minister’s continued tenure on my executive council as contemplated in s 132 of the Constitution.
- [a][b] and [c] I had no prior knowledge of the allegations that were brought to my attention. I cannot speak on behalf of the members in my Cabinet.
