Athol Trollip: Embattled Minister Thembi Simelane must be suspended, not represent SA in Russia
ActionSA has denounced embattled Justice Minister Thembi Simelane's planned attendance at the BRICS Ministers of Justice meeting where she will be representing South at the gathering in the Federal Republic of Russia.
IOL reported on Monday that Simelane is travelling to the upcoming meeting of BRICS Ministers of Justice to be held in Moscow, the capital of Russia. The meeting will be held from Wednesday until Friday.
In response, ActionSA parliamentary leader Athol Trollip issued a statement, insisting that given the extensive allegations levelled against Simelane, she should be suspended and not dispatched to represent South Africa.
“In light of the cloud of serious allegations of corruption that directly affect her role as the head of the Department of Justice, along with concerns about a potential conflict of interest regarding her influence over the NPA, we strongly believe she should not be travelling in any official capacity until her name is cleared,” said Trollip.
“ActionSA is currently engaging with the office of the Public Protector regarding our request for an urgent independent investigation into the so-called loan solicited from VBS investment broker, Gundo Wealth Solutions, during her tenure as mayor of Polokwane, when the municipality unlawfully invested R356 million into the now-collapsed VBS bank.
“Given the multitude of unanswered questions surrounding the potentially corrupt transactions, the serious implications if she is found guilty, and the potential impact on her continued leadership of South Africa's justice system, ActionSA is committed to ensuring this matter is thoroughly investigated. As such, we believe the Minister should be suspended pending the outcome of the ongoing investigations,” he said.
Trollip added that ActionSA will continue to pursue all avenues to ensure that the minister is held accountable “and the integrity of the justice system is safeguarded”.
On Thursday, spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development, Tsekiso Machike said the interaction of different countries in the BRICS platform is based on respect for the universally recognised principles, norms of international laws and the desire for equal international cooperation in order to solve mutual problems and promote common interests.
“The meeting seeks to strengthen relations between ministries of justice from BRICS countries and will see the ministries of justice from BRICS countries working together to ensure the protection of civil rights and freedoms, introduction of technological solutions in the area of digitalisation of justice services and benchmarking on experience in providing legal services and legal aid to the members of the public,” he said.
It is envisaged that the BRICS ministries of justice meeting will culminate in improved relations between the different represented nations, resolution on current issues related to the areas of cooperation and organisation of advanced training programs in the legal fraternity.
“Minister Simelane will, during the meeting, have an opportunity to have a bilateral discussion with the minister of justice from Russia and other BRICS countries in attendance,” said Machike.
Last week, IOL reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa had announced that he would carefully consider Simelane’s R575,000 VBS Mutual Bank loan scandal before making any decision on her future, amid calls for her to step down.
This was revealed by Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya while addressing the media in Cape Town on Ramaphosa’s programme.
Simelane has been under fire following reports that she received a loan of R575,600 from Gundo Wealth Solutions in 2016, when she was still the mayor of Polokwane Municipality.
She served as mayor for the municipality between 2014 and 2021, until she was appointed as justice minister in June this year, and took the loan to purchase a coffee shop in Sandton.
The company, which is owned by Rallion Razwinane, was directly linked to the unlawful investments of municipal funds into the now-defunct VBS Mutual Bank during her time as mayor.
IOL