The ANC's decision to ask its Western Cape leader Marius Fransman to step aside even with local government elections around the corner shows that it is pulling out all the stops to regain its moral integrity, says a political analyst. "This is about the integrity of the ANC as an organisation," said Zamikhaya Maseti after Luthuli House asked Fransman to vacate his office pending an investigation by the party's integrity committee of sexual harassment allegations against him."If Fransman was a genuine member of the ANC who understands the constitution, the resolutions and the policies of the party, he should have stepped down voluntarily. But I think the ANC is trying to reinforce the position of its integrity committee," Maseti.Fransman is accused of inappropriately touching a 20-year-old woman in Kimberley earlier this month while en route to the ANC's January 8 birthday celebrations in Rustenberg.In another decision the ANC has given Western Cape secretary Faiez Jacobs 48 hours before he is suspended to give his side of the story on an assault case involving him and a staff member in December.Jacobs returned to work on Tuesday after national disciplinary committee of appeals set aside his precautionary suspension, saying the correct procedure had not been followed and he had not been given the chance to explain himself.ANC national spokesman Zizi Kodwa said: "The decisions are taken to protect the reputation of the organisation. A seasoned cadre like [Fransman], he knows nothing except the ANC. We expect him to appreciate such a decision, painful as it is."He said the party was not worried the suspension may harm its local government election campaign. The same decision would have been made even on the eve of an election, he said.Political analyst Somadoda Fikeni shared Maseti's sentiments."[The ANC] may have a behind-the-scenes understanding with Fransman such that he does not negatively influence supporters."It may lessen the effect more than if he was an aggrieved person going around branches telling them that there is a conspiracy to sideline him. It's not immediately possible that the ANC will recapture Cape Town, so they ought to be working on a long-term strategy and not panic about the immediate issues," Fikeni said.The DA said the ANC's move against Fransman and Jacobs was an attempt to "clean house at a time when its reputation is in tatters".DA deputy Western Cape leader, Bonginkosi Madikizela said: "Fransman's axing.could not be delayed any longer, as the beleaguered leader lurches from scandal to scandal."..