ANC’s VBS move: allies not happy

The tripartite alliance of the ANC, the SA Communist Party (SACP) and trade union federation Cosatu in Limpopo
is divided over the ANC’s decision to reinstate two provincial bigwigs alleged to have looted VBS Mutual Bank.

ANC deputy provincial chair Florence Radzilani and provincial treasurer Danny Msiza were suspended by the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) following the release of the Reserve Bank’s “Great Bank Heist” forensic investigations report, which implicated them and 51 others in the looting and collapsing of VBS.

About nine Limpopo municipalities lost over R1.2 billion in the bank’s scams. Msiza was labelled as “kingpin” in the heist by a bank official, alleging he masterminded the deposits by 12 municipalities. But “No-5”, as he is affectionately known in Limpopo politics, has since challenged the report in court to prove his innocence.

Radzilani allegedly demanded a R300 000 “Christmas” gift after her Vhembe district municipality invested R300 million into the defunct bank. Now, after nearly two years of suspension, the NEC decided last week to reinstate them,
as there was no tangible proof that they benefited.

But the reinstatement was met with sharp criticism from all quarters, including the SACP and Cosatu, which all said the move was a spat in the face of the poor.

Cosatu Limpopo secretary Gerald Twala said the decision to reinstate the two “is not only unjust but also unsound, reckless, uninformed and not in the best interest of our revolution”.

He said the trade union’s call has always been that the movement must act decisively against its leaders implicated in
corruption. He added that the ANC’s actions were causing “confusion, divisions, anger and frustration”
in the alliance. The SACP was also equally perturbed about the decision to reinstate the two.

SACP provincial spokesman Machike Thobejane said the party would “fight with everything, we have” to overturn the reinstatement.

“Our municipalities have now collapsed. Services are now delivered in dribs and drabs and many of our people have been retrenched and our people, who invested money in the bank, are now eating from hand to mouth.”

ANC provincial secretary Soviet Lekganyane said party was in talks with its Limpopo structures over the issue.

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