Cape Town - Peter de Villiers’ membership in the GOOD party has been terminated by the party’s National Management Committee (NMC) following charges of sexual harassment against him.
The 66-year-old former Springbok coach was suspended after he allegedly made sexual advances to a party member in January.
De Villiers allegedly groped a fellow public representative of the party and was suspended after a complaint was lodged with the South African Police Service.
According to the party, this alleged incident happened while he dropped the complainant off at home after an event at the end of January and allegedly sexually assaulted her.
The complainant reported De Villiers to GOOD’s national structure.
The GOOD party’s secretary-general, Brett Herron, confirmed De Villiers’ suspension.
Good’s NMC has terminated Peter De Villiers membership in the party and removed him as a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Legislature.
The NMC decision was based on the outcome of a party disciplinary process that found De Villiers guilty of breaching the GOOD Constitution and Code of Conduct.
On January 31, 2024, GOOD received a formal complaint of sexual misconduct against De Villiers.
The nature of the allegations warranted his immediate suspension from party activities pending an investigation and formal disciplinary hearing.
“Good is a women-led party with a Constitution containing a set of values to which all members subscribe and account, irrespective of their positions,” said Herron.
He said the Good Constitution deals comprehensively and unequivocally with gender rights and sexual misconduct.
The party is proud of its record of advocacy for the equal rights of women and girls and against the plague of gender-based violence in South Africa, said Herron.
At the hearing, he said, the party appointed an independent disciplinary hearing chairperson, advocate Lionel Esau, to preside over De Villiers’ hearing, and an independent initiator (fulfilling the prosecutorial function), advocate Peter Cyster.
Herron said De Villiers was represented by David Van der Merwe, of attorneys Leon Frank and Partners, and advocate Mias Schreuder SC.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has confirmed that de Villiers appeared at the Malmesbury Regional Court last week on charges of two counts of attempted sexual assault and criminal injuries. His case was postponed to May 15.
The party said GOOD deputy secretary-general Suzette Little has replaced de Villiers as a member of the Western Cape Provincial Legislature.