This as the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) on Wednesday 18 September decided to withdraw the charges against him at the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court in the Northern Cape. The NPA spokesperson, Phaladi Shuping, says the charges were withdrawn after an informal mediation agreement was reached and all the parties were satisfied. Shuping says the prosecutor was also satisfied that the complainant is in full agreement to withdraw the matter. The charges against Fransman relates to a complaint that was laid against him at the police by Wynand in January 2016 during the African National Congress (ANC) birthday celebrations in Rustenburg in the North West.

The charges can be mediated if there is an agreement but Shuping maintains that the prosecutor would not have considered the withdrawal of charges if it was a serious sexual offence like rape. “The complainant opened a case with the Police, accusing Fransman of sexual assault while they were travelling from the Western Cape to North West for the ANC celebrations,” Shuping says. Fransman was found guilty by the ANC's disciplinary committee and suspended from the party over the matter.

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