Elite crime-busting police unit, the Hawks, have denied claims that they are probing the alleged corruption case involving Justice Minister Thembi Simelane.
The Hawks confirmed in a media statement that they are looking into a post on X by commercial radio station Kaya FM that has since gone viral on social media.
Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbambo, the Hawks spokesperson, stated: “What we can confirm at this stage is that ActionSA has registered a case relating to the VBS matter and that the Hawks’ serious corruption investigation [unit] has already made great strides in the investigation of various legs relating to VBS, which has since resulted in arrests and convictions, while other people are on trial.
“An investigation into a VBS-related matter still continues, and more arrests are imminent, but we cannot and will not confirm an investigation into a particular individual until they have been brought before a court of law.”
Charges against Simelane relate to a controversial R575 600 loan Simelane solicited from a service provider. This happened during her tenure as the mayor of Polokwane in 2016.
According to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the best course of action in this case is to permit law enforcement to look into Minister Thembi Simelane’s purported involvement in the VBS Mutual Bank heist.
Police investigation
The minister’s spokesperson, Tsekiso Machike, expressed optimism that the police probe would result in a sensible resolution.
“As the matter is now under police investigation, the minister will not respond to media enquiries until it has concluded,” said Machike.
Based on the claim that Simelane broke the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act and committed common law forgery in relation to the loan she says she got from Gundo Wealth Services, ActionSA has filed criminal charges against her.
The loan has sparked serious concerns, according to ActionSA parliamentary media officer Matthew George, especially in light of the fact that Gundo Wealth Solutions is suspected of illegally investing R349-million from the Polokwane municipality into the now-defunct VBS Mutual Bank.
ActionSA MP Malebo Kobe and the party’s provincial chairperson for Limpopo, Victor Mothemela, opened the case on Tuesday.
Recent disclosures that the loan agreement might have been backdated in order to obfuscate the specifics of the transaction, according to Mothemela, also served as motivation for the party to file criminal charges.
The parliamentary leader of ActionSA, Athol Trollip, stated that during Simelane’s appearance before parliament’s portfolio committee on justice, she had neglected to disclose specifics about the loan agreement, raising suspicions that it might be a forgery.
Loan to open a coffee shop
He claimed that the documents appeared to have been produced in an effort to legalise an allegedly illegal transaction after the agreement was signed.
In order to establish financial stability in light of the unpredictability of a political career, Simelane had previously disclosed to the portfolio committee that she had taken out a loan from Gundo Wealth Services to open a coffee shop.
According to Trollip, ActionSA had tried everything before opening the case, including pleading with President Cyril Ramaphosa, Speaker of the National Assembly Thoko Didiza, and public protector Kholeka Gcaleka, for accountability.
But he says nobody seems to want to hold Simelane responsible for the accusations made against her in her capacity as the head of the legal system.
“Given the seriousness of the allegations regarding potentially corrupt transactions, the implications if the minister is found guilty, and the impact on her leadership of South Africa’s justice system, ActionSA believes that accountability cannot be delayed any further,” said Trollip.
