The FF Plus welcomes the Hawks’ investigation into VBS-related corruption allegations against the Minister of Justice, Thembi Simelani.
South Africa is reeling from allegations implicating politicians in crime with seeming impunity. This has to change. The Minister should step aside while the matter is under investigation until the allegations have been cleared up.
Even if the Minister gives the assurance that she will not interfere with prosecution processes in connection with the liquidated VBS Bank and now possibly also a case in which she is directly implicated, the possibility remains that her mere presence will hamper thorough investigation and prosecution.
As far as the investigation into the Minister is concerned, it is inevitable that anyone who has had dealings with VBS is tainted by association, regardless of their denials and whether they or other people had acted bona fide or not.
The allegations against Simelani stem from her tenure as Polokwane’s Mayor. She allegedly unlawfully received R576 000 from the company Gundo Wealth Solutions to buy a coffee shop in Sandton.
This was after she reportedly invested R394 million of the Municipality’s funds in VBS through a transaction allegedly facilitated by Gundo Wealth Solutions.
The FF Plus was present during today’s questioning of the Minister by the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice. The party welcomes this opportunity as well as the police investigation because there are simply too many coincidences, unanswered questions and similarities between the timeline of the alleged offence and other related events.
Any person in South Africa is innocent until proven guilty by a thorough police investigation and a court. So, if the current investigation does lead to prosecution, the Minister will have an opportunity to prove her innocence if she is indeed innocent.
The rampant corruption in South Africa spanning decades should no longer be tolerated or go unpunished. The Minister of Justice, in particular, is at the helm of law and order in a country and has to be above reproach.
The FF Plus is, therefore, calling on the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to thoroughly investigate the matter without any fear of backlash, and to immediately charge the Minister if evidence showing that she did indeed commit an offence is uncovered.
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