EFF willing to pay back donations ‘traced to any criminal activity’ – Mpofu on VBS

Former Economic Freedom Fighters  (EFF) chairperson Dali Mpofu says is willing to pay back ill-gotten donations should there be evidence of such transactions.

The EFF has been under fire for their alleged involvement in the collapse of  Venda Building Society (VBS) Mutual Bank. They have been accused of allegedly receiving R5 million plus other monthly payments from VBS through a company allegedly linked to the brother of the party’s deputy president Floyd Shivambu.

During an interview with Clement Manyathela on Talk Radio 702 on Monday, Mpofu said the party was prepared to pay back any money gained from criminal activities.

Mpofu exonerates EFF from wrongdoing

“Any money the EFF has used to buy a cup of tea if it can be traced to any criminal activity by any third parties, we will pay it back, it goes without saying,” he said.

Mpofu denied that the party had directly received a huge donation from VBS despite the party being implicated in receiving huge donations that allegedly helped the party leaders buy homes and other expensive items.

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Shivambu said the EFF cannot be blamed for the misconduct that the companies that have given money to the party have been involved in.

“People must not ascribe to us the criminal motives of those companies whether those companies are VBS or Vele or the Guptas or Steinhof or FNB or whoever wants to donate. Their dealings are their dealings,” he said.

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In his affidavit, the former chairperson of VBS Tshifhiwa Matodzi said he had met Malema, Shivambu and Marshall Dlamini at the party’s penthouse in Sandton where a plan was allegedly discussed to donate to the EFF through another company.

However, Mpofu still insisted that he had no knowledge of the VBS funds being donated to the EFF.