His enemies might be plotting to destroy him – but he is unfazed, Western Cape ANC leader Marius Fransman told News24 in an exclusive interview.

He accepts the nature of politics, especially when “forces” try to take down a leader.

Fransman said while he is nowhere near perfect – with strengths and weaknesses like anyone else – it was still a “sad thing”.

“It’s a very sad thing, that if there is a strategy to destroy a leader, which I accept because that is part of politics, it means that [people] are using everything possible.

“If you can’t take a person down, you play the man. There are those that tried to take me down at last year’s conference, but they failed. So now they are playing the man,” Fransman said.

ALLEGATIONS

Fransman is facing new allegations of nepotism levelled against him while also facing a sexual harassment allegation.

But, said Fransman, those behind the claims have simply wanted to add fuel to the fires burning around him and destroy his name.

The sexual harassment allegation came after a 20-year-old woman accused him of inappropriately touching her during a trip to the party’s celebrations in Rustenburg earlier this month.

He has eluded to “forces” behind the allegation, which he has vehemently denied.

Now the already embattled Fransman will have to defend himself against allegations relating to political interference in the appointment of the Cape Agulhas municipal manager in 2013.

The application to the Western Cape High Court by former municipal manager Reynold Stevens, to set aside Dean O’Neill’s appointment as municipal manager, will be heard on January 27. O’Neill is Fransman’s brother-in-law.

Fransman said he had objected to O’Neill’s appointment but had been overruled on the basis of his work experience.

He said he was going to take the people behind these allegations to court for tarnishing his name.

UPCOMING ELECTIONS

He said while he had his weaknesses, nepotism was not one of them.

“It’s sad that they are bringing family to this fight, when it was meant to be politics.”

He said those who were trying to take him down needed to remember that it was not about him, but about the good of the organisation and they needed to focus on that.

Their hatred for him as a leader should not be so much that they were willing to jeopardise the party’s chances at the upcoming elections, he said.

“They have deliberately tried to throw further fuel on a fire that’s already there. It’s burning. And it is those individuals that run to the media with wrong information, that decreases the chances of the ANC at elections.”

He said the facts would speak for themselves in the matter, and he would fight the allegations with everything he had. News24