Fransman relative in nepotism court case

28 January 2016 - 02:41 By Philani Nombembe

With a sexual harassment allegation hanging over him, Western Cape ANC chairman Marius Fransman's name took centre stage in another court row yesterday about the appointment of his brother-in-law as a municipal manager. A full bench of the Cape Town High Court heard Reynold Stevens' application to have Dean O'Neill's appointment as Cape Agulhas local municipality manager reviewed and set aside.Stevens claimed that O'Neill got the job merely because he was related to Fransman.After his five-year contract as municipal manager ended, Stevens emerged as the top candidate in interviews for the post in July 2013. But he claims he lost the job to O'Neill because of political interference."I have been informed that an instruction was received from Songezo Mjongile, the [then] ANC provincial secretary, by the ANC coalition councillors that [O'Neill] had to be appointed," Stevens said in court papers."It is to be noted that [O'Neill] is the brother-in-law of the ANC provincial chairman Marius Fransman." I respectively submit that the only inference to be drawn is that this fact played the most important role in his appointment at my expense," he claimed.Fransman, who is accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman earlier this month, rubbished Stevens' claims in an interview yesterday."It shows how desperate some people are to drag a leader of the ANC into things," he said."The truth is that Reynold Stevens was a beneficiary of nepotism. The speaker of the municipality is direct family of Stevens."Judgment was reserved...

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