Wife 'nagged for premiership'
2003-10-16 16:32
Cape Town - New National Party leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk's wife had nagged her husband to take over the premiership of the Western Cape, former incumbent Peter Marais said on Thursday.
Marais, who stepped down from the post in May last year amid allegations of sexual misconduct, told the Cape Town Press Club that Van Schalkwyk "stole" the premiership from him.
One of the reasons for this was that Suzette van Schalkwyk had wanted her husband to be premier.
"She could not bear the thought that two coloured leaders such as Gerald Morkel and myself were premier and mayor (of Cape Town) respectively, and that her husband had no other position than the national leadership of the NNP," he said.
"Her own social friends revealed to me that she nagged Marthinus constantly to do something about the situation, as he had no chauffeur or bodyguards, and he even earned less than Peter Marais."
Marais, who earlier this year split with the NNP to form the New Labour Party, said he stepped down from the premiership because Van Schalkwyk assured him that when he was cleared of the sexual allegations, he would be reinstated in the post.
"Because I believed in my innocence I thought I would be back in my position within a month," he said.
However Van Schalkwyk, who was sworn in in his place, had constantly shifted the goalposts, Marais said.
The Directorate of Public Prosecutions eventually decided not to prosecute.
Describing Van Schalkwyk as an "impertinent impostor", Marais said he had been victim of "lies, cunning and deceit, a deed most foul and unchristian".
"I trusted Marthinus like Caesar trusted Brutus, but refused to die like Caesar. After the many battles I fought and won, I could only ask him: 'Et tu, Brute?'"
- SAPA