By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
ActionSA and Democratic Alliance (DA) have expressed concern over the revelations surrounding Justice Minister Thembi Simelane during her tenure as mayor of Polokwane.
This on the back of a report published by Daily Maverick and News24 on Monday which details how during her tenure as mayor of Polokwane, Simelane took a loan of more than half a million rand from the same company that facilitated some R349 million worth of municipal investments into VBS.
The payments appear to be linked to kickbacks received in exchange for large deposits by Polokwane Municipality into VBS.
In an indictment submitted to court, prosecutors described these payments to the broker as cash meant to solicit the first deposit and used for “corrupt payments to various municipal officials, both known and unknown to the State”.
Simelane is not named in the indictment.
According to the indictment, the transaction contravened several sections of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (Precca).
Simelane insists everything was “above board”.
But ActionSA wants the Public Protector to urgently initiate an investigation “and to probe the potential violation of the Executive Members’ Ethics Act”.
The party’s parliamentary caucus leader, Athol Trollip: “If there is any evidence that the minister received an illicit loan from the proceeds of VBS bank looting she will be clearly conflicted in her role and her very appointment will be called into question.”
Trollip said they’d also written to the president to inform him of their complaint.
“And we urge all state departments to do everything possible to bring every single person, regardless of political affiliation, to justice with the looting of people’s life savings from the VBS bank. This is a matter of enormous public importance.”
Simelane does not believe there is a conflict of interest between her involvement with VBS and her position in the executive.
“There will be no conflict of interest. The minister is the first to insist on the independence of all law enforcement agencies. The NPA has the minister’s full support to discharge its constitutional mandate without fear, favour or prejudice, “she said in a written response to questions.
The commission agent scheme run by VBS management was identified as an illegal method used to bribe municipal officials to make “massive deposits” into the bank, the extensive Motau and Werksmans probe into the implosion of VBS found in 2018.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has submitted a request to the chair of the Justice Parliamentary Portfolio, for the Minister of Justice to appear before the portfolio to answer to these allegations.
“At the very least, the Minister needs to be brought before Parliament to account for what measures she intends to put in place to manage the glaring conflict of interest between herself as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development and her role involving the National Prosecuting Authority, which must surely be investigating the Minister and this transaction, DA Spokesperson on Justice and Constitutional Development Glynnis Breytenbach says.
These allegations raise serious questions about the Minister’s integrity and her ability to fulfil the critical role of upholding justice in South Africa, she added.