Albert Fritz

One of six children, Fritz was born in Woodstock, a suburb of Cape Town. He and his family later moved to District Six and were forcibly evicted in 1972 due to the Group Areas Act. They relocated to Hanover Park on the Cape Flats. He was expelled from Oaklands High School in 1976, because of his involvement in an anti-apartheid uprising. At the University of the Western Cape, he achieved a BA Honours degree in Social Science and also an LLB. He soon earned a master's degree in Social Sciences from the same university.[2]

Fritz arranged several school boycotts during the 1970s and 1980s. He became involved in various movements such as the Hanover Park Youth Movement and the Hanover Park Civic Association. He was a member of the Cape Housing Action Committee.[3]

During the 1980s, he was appointed an organiser for the Media Workers' Association of South Africa. Fritz also joined the United Democratic Front. He joined the African National Congress's Strandfontein branch in 1990, but soon moved to the party's Milnerton branch in 1996. He was employed by the office of the Inspecting Judge in 1999. He was promoted to the post of Chief Judicial Inspector of Prisons in South Africa in 2002. In 2014, Fritz was appointed to the Western Cape High Court as an advocate.[3]

In 2008, Fritz announced that he was leaving the African National Congress. He subsequently joined the Democratic Alliance.[2]

On 6 May 2009, Fritz took office as a Member of the National Assembly. Shortly afterwards, the Democratic Alliance Parliamentary Leader Athol Trollip appointed Fritz to the position of Shadow Deputy Minister of Correctional Services, serving alongside James Selfe, who was reappointed as the Shadow Minister of Correctional Services.[4][5]

In September 2010, Premier Helen Zille announced that Provincial Minister Lennit Max and Fritz would exchange positions. Max would become a Member of the National Assembly and Shadow Minister, while Fritz would become Provincial Minister of Community Safety and a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament. Fritz left Parliament on 10 September 2010.[6]

Fritz took office as Provincial Minister of Community Safety on 13 September 2010. In May 2011, Zille appointed Fritz to the position of Provincial Minister of Social Development, succeeding Patricia de Lille.[7] Fritz took office on 1 June 2011. Dan Plato succeeded him as Provincial Minister of Community Safety.

On 7 October 2017, he was elected Deputy Provincial Leader of the Democratic Alliance, succeeding Bonginkosi Madikizela, at the party's provincial conference held at the Every Nation Church in Goodwood, Cape Town.[8]

In May 2019, Fritz was appointed Provincial Minister of Community Safety by newly elected Premier Alan Winde.[9][10] He was re-elected as deputy provincial leader in November 2020, defeating Tertuis Simmers.[11]

He is married to Dianne Veldsman. They have one son named Charlton. Fritz refers to his mother, Theodora, as his "rock".[2]

On 27 November 2020, Fritz tested positive for COVID-19.[12]