Picture: Screengrab from briefing.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said the allegations surrounding Justice Minister Thembi Simelane over the explosive VBS bank allegations against her will not be “swept under the carpet.”
Ramaphosa was addressing the media on Thursday following his state visit to China.
Simelane is meant to account to Parliament’s portfolio Committee on justice following allegations that she funnelled millions into the now defunct Venda Building Society (VBS) mutual bank when she was Polokwane mayor.
Ramaphosa last week summoned Simelane to provide a detailed report on allegations that linked her to the VBS scandal.
He said the matter surrounding Simelane is “being dealt with.”
“The issue of the minister of justice, that is a matter that we’re dealing with, and I would say that as President, I do need the space and the time to be able to deal with this matter, and certainly the matter is being dealt with as I indicated some few days ago.
“So it’s not a matter that’s going to be swept under the carpet. It’s been dealt with. So, be rest assured, the matter is being addressed,” Ramaphosa said.
ALSO READ: Thembi Simelane won’t be shielded from VBS allegations, says her deputy [VIDEO]
On Wednesday, Deputy Justice Minister Andries Nel also said Simelane, will not be shielded from accountability over the explosive VBS bank allegations against her.
Simelane and Nel were in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Wednesday to answer questions on corruption cases linked to state capture.
The justice minister did not respond to questions about corruption cases, passing the responsibility to Nel to answer them.
Nel said Simelane had made it clear that she would fully cooperate with all relevant law enforcement agencies and other constitutional bodies.
“She has indicated that she will account to the relevant structures in Parliament, which is scheduled to take place this coming Friday. The president is on record that he requested the minister to provide a comprehensive report on the allegations.
“So, I think there’s no effort at all to hide anything from anyone or to shirk accountability. I think that should suffice for now,” Nel said.
Simelane allegedly took a R575 600 “commercial loan” from Gundo Wealth Solutions, a company that brokered unlawful investments of R349 million into the now defunct VBS Mutual Bank by the Polokwane Municipality while she was mayor of the city in 2016.
Gundo Wealth Solutions is owned by Ralliom Razwinane.
Razwinane is currently on trial for fraud, corruption and money laundering for his role as a commission agent connecting municipalities with VBS.
Simelane insists everything was “above board” and the loan was repaid.
ALSO READ: Thembi Simelane to appear before ANC integrity commission over VBS-linked loan [VIDEO]
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