Suspended African National Congress provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday facing a charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
On February 1, the ANC said it dispatched two members of its National Executive Committee to the Western Cape to assist local party structures after Jacobs was suspended from his post for his alleged attack on ANC researcher Wesley Seale.
At the time the party said that Jacobs was officially suspended pending the outcome of the disciplinary process. Jacobs had asked that his disciplinary process be handled by the ANC at national level instead of provincial level.
Jacobs was placed on precautionary suspension in December last year. But in January, the ANC announced that the suspension had been lifted as the process followed did not fully comply with its constitution.
In December, a photo of Seale’s bloodied face went viral on Facebook. He later lodged a complaint of assault at the Cape Town Central police station against Jacobs after he reportedly received seven stitches to his left ear.
In April, the ANC suspended Jacobs after the party found him guilty of assaulting a former party employee. At the time, the party said assaulting another member was a very serious act of misconduct.
“Moreover, an act of assault committed in the workplace is seen as very serious because of the harm that is or could be caused to workplace harmony,” said the ANC’s National Disciplinary Committee, which added that “it took into account that Faiez Jacobs regretted his action and is capable of being rehabilitated”.
However, the ANC said in the circumstances of this case, expulsion or outright suspension would be harsh and inappropriate sanctions.
“Consequently, the operation of the 18 month sanction was suspended for a period of three years, subject to the condition that should Faiez Jacobs be found guilty of any act of misconduct specified in the ANC Constitution during the next three years, the 18 month sanction shall become operative and Faiez Jacobs will be required to vacate his position as the Provincial Secretary of the ANC in the Western Cape.”
He returned to work later in April.
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