The ANC Women’s League is not supporting suspended ANC Western Cape chairperson Marius Fransman in his sexual harassment case.

“Actually I personally spoke to my comrade [Marius Fransman] and told him we are not going to be able to support him,” league president Bathabile Dlamini told News24 on Wednesday.

The league would also not be able to provide support to Fransman’s alleged victim, Louisa Wynand, 21, because she had insisted on dealing only with Dlamini.

“Firstly we were told she is under witness protection, but secondly we were told that she was only prepared to see the president [Dlamini].

Dlamini said she could not go to see Wynand alone.

“If I go there it means five officials have to go. We have to go as a collective,” she said.

She said they had tried hard to make arrangements, including speaking to Fransman.

Dlamini declined to comment on the allegations against Fransman. She said other parties also had sexual harassment issues and nobody was pursuing these.

She claimed that in the DA such matters were pushed under the carpet. The alleged perpetrator went back to work and “everyone keeps quiet”.

“And when it comes to issues of the ANC, we are pushed into the corner as if the issues of the ANC are the issues of the women’s league only. These are the issues that should be bringing women together because they cut across.

“And therefore as the women’s league we come out to say we will never support the perpetrator. We will support the victim. Which other organisation has done that?”

The league issued a statement on the same day as the allegations surfaced – January 8 – saying it supported Wynand. It however said nothing when it emerged that investigators in the North West had decided not to prosecute Fransman due to insufficient evidence.

Wynand said they informed her in a text message. She said they were never in touch for her to hand over more evidence, which included WhatsApp messages from Fransman, which the Daily Maverick obtained.

The matter was subsequently referred to the Northern Cape National Prosecuting Authority.

The Daily Maverick reported that former ANCWL president Angie Motshekga was the only senior ANC leader who lent support to Wynand.

Wynand accused Fransman of sexual harassment while they travelled to the North West in January, for the ANC’s birthday rally in Rustenburg. He has denied the claim. She had just started working for Fransman as an events and public relations manager at his hospitality business.