Shivambu heads to court over ‘undisclosed R180k VBS payment’

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) deputy president Floyd Shivambu will be taking Parliament’s Ethics Committee to court to overturn its decision to dock his pay after finding he received payments from the defunct VBS Mutual Bank.

Shivambu will have nine days of his salary docked after he failed to disclose to Parliament three payments he received from VBS Mutual Bank.

Parliament’s ethics committee on Monday closed the chapter on the Democratic Alliance’s 2019 complaints that Julius Malema and Shivambu had possibly breached the code of ethical conduct for failing to disclose they received money from the bank.

The committee however found there was no evidence that VBS money landed in any bank account under Malema’s name.

Court action

The EFF said it had taken note of the committee’s sanctions issued against Shivambu.

The red berets said the joint committee acknowledged the loan amount of money were “donations which came from a private company called Sgameka Pty Ltd, not from VBS.”

“What is an incorrect conclusion of the committee is that the loan amount from Sgameka Pty Ltd was a donation despite the fact that Sgameka presented a sworn affidavit that the amount is a loan which had nothing to do with VBS.

“The conclusion that the deputy president received a donation that was not declared is utterly false and not a reflection of reality. The deputy president will take Parliament to court to overturn the joint committee’s irrational and opportunistic conclusion and sanction,” the EFF said.

ALSO READ: Lawmakers find EFF’s Shivambu failed to disclose VBS bank payments

Payments

Parliament’s acting Registrar of Members’ Interests, advocate Anthea Gordon said the affidavit by the liquidator in the VBS liquidation matter disclosed details of the payments to Shivambu.

“It identified that three payments were made to Floyd Shivambu […] by Sgameka Projects Pty Ltd [the company of Shivambu’s brother, Brian] during 2017.

The payments are:

18 August 2017: R100 000

24 August 2017: R30 000

26 August 2017: R50 000

“The committee noted that these three payments were not disclosed by Hon. Shivambu MP […] The Committee found that Hon Shivambu, MP breached item 10.1.1.1 of the Code of Ethical Conduct and Disclosure of Members’ Interests for failing to comply with the requirements of the provisions for disclosing financial interest,” Gordon said.

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