The DA has submitted a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to President Cyril Ramaphosa demanding to see an explanation report that corruption-accused Justice Minister Thembi Simelane gave to Ramaphosa.
The report was for Simelane to explain her involvement in the looting of money from the Venda Building Society (VBS) mutual bank.
Simelane took a R575,600 loan in 2016 from the VBS Mutual Bank to purchase a coffee shop in Sandton, Johannesburg.
In exchange for facilitating loans to municipalities, VBS Mutual Bank allegedly paid bribes to the broker, Gundo Wealth Solutions. Simelane was the mayor of Polokwane at the time of the loan.
In a statement, DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach said this was being done in the public interest, and also to allow the public the right to judge all facts in this matter for themselves.
Despite receiving the report three months ago, Breytenbach said Ramaphosa failed to take action and was unable to appreciate the untenable conflict of interest this had created.
“It cannot be that a Minister of Justice, accused of corruption, can continue to oversee the Justice system, and more importantly the National Prosecuting Authority, the very body tasked with investigating her,” the DA MP said.
She added that “every day without action further damages the integrity of our justice system and legal institutions".
According to Breytenbach, the PAIA process was the only way to get answers.
When Simelane was called before Parliament, she was unable to produce a copy of the loan contract with Gundo Wealth Solutions for the Justice Portfolio Committee.
In an effort to confront and settle the accusations, she also made an appearance before the ANC's Integrity Committee.