EDITORIAL | It’s society’s duty to ensure women function without fear

Premier Alan Winde should be applauded for acting speedily in removing Western Cape community safety MEC Albert Fritz from his position on Tuesday. The allegations first became public about a month ago, but according to a recent Sunday Times story the claims had been floating around since 2019. At that point, the women feared the impact on their lives and jobs, and declined to take the matter further. Until a month ago, when Winde said he had received “serious allegations” pertaining to Fritz.

The case was then referred to adv Jennifer Williams for an independent investigation which has found sufficient evidence of sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse and the creation of an environment conducive to sexual harassment. 

Williams was asked to probe allegations by four young interns who where employed during Fritz’s tenure as MEC of social development and community safety. She concluded: “The evidence indicates a sustained culture of the sexual objectivation of women who work in the ministry, underpinned by an indisputable power imbalance. The power differential favours Mr Fritz due to his age, position of authority, political connections and gender.”

It is a shame that the introduction to the workplace for promising young women starting their careers would be a #metoo scenario. It is an indictment on society and the Western Cape government that it took these women more than two years to summons the courage to speak out. In a country such as ours, where gender-based violence is one of our greatest tragedies, our government departments should have processes in place that allow women to feel safe enough to raise the alarm. They and the youth should be allowed to function in workplaces, state or private, without fear.

The indictment is not only on workplace culture and processes, or the lack thereof, it is also on our society. These women experienced extreme anxiety regarding the impact their complaints would have had on their personal lives. This raises a new set of questions around stigma and a lack of support structures. What we must wonder as a society is whether there are many others who are victims, but who are unable to stand up.

Winde’s words on Tuesday ring true: “This is the starkest reminder of the pervasiveness of gender-based violence at all levels of our society, and that every single one of us — from president to premier, from CEO to father, mother, brother, sister or friend — have a role to play to end it.”