President Cyril Ramaphosa and Human Settlements Minister Thembi.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has been lambasted for shielding the embattled controversial Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Thembi Simelane and moving her to the Human Settlements Ministry following his recent suspicious Cabinet reshuffle.
Political parties expressed their discontentment after Ramaphosa announced immediate national executive changes on Tuesday. They said if the Minister Simelane was deemed no longer fit to serve as Minister of Justice due to allegations of potential corruption and questionable sources of wealth beyond her declared earnings, then surely the President cannot now expect the public to believe that she is perfectly suited to lead a critically important portfolio like Human Settlements, overseeing billions of Rands.
Ramaphosa swapped Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi with Simelane despite calls for her removal following her VBS scandal loan.
Minister Simelane failed to convince Parliament’s Justice Committee following reports that she received a R575 600 loan from the Gundo Wealth Solutions in 2016 to purchase a coffee shop in Sandton during her tenure as the Executive Mayor of Polokwane Municipality.
The loan was paid directly to the owner of a coffee shop in Sandton, which Simelane was purchasing, in late 2016. Gundo Wealth Solutions is owned by Rallion Razwinane who is directly linked to the illegitimate investments of municipal funds into the now non-operational VBS Mutual Bank.
Razwinane is currently on trial for fraud, corruption, and money laundering following his role as a commission agent connecting municipalities which included Polokwane Municipality, with the VBS.
Phumzile Mgcina was appointed the Deputy Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources. Mgcina has been serving in the national executive as the Deputy Minister of Labour and Employment.
Judith Nemadzinga-Tshabalala was appointed the Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, having been serving in the national executive as the Deputy Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.
Earlier, the Hawks effected a quest and seizure warrant on Simelane’s former PA at the Polokwane Municipality last week geared to get corruption evidence linked to the municipality's R349 million investments with the now defunct VBS Mutual Bank in 2016 and 2017 which gave birth to violation of the Municipal Financial Management Act.
A copy of the warrant dated 29 August 2024, and a copy of the affidavit filed by Colonel Anton White of the Hawks in Limpopo in support of the warrant was seen by the media.
At that time, she went by her ex-husband surname Nkadimeng and she brokered unlawful investments of R349 million into VBS Bank by Polokwane Municipality while was a Mayor. The Polokwane Municipality invested R130 million with VBS Mutual Bank, making an R50 million investment in September 2016 and an R80 million investment a month later. Both of these investments were unlawful.
Athol Trollip MP, ActionSA Parliamentary Leader said: “ActionSA rejects President Ramaphosa’s last-ditch cowardly Cabinet reshuffle, appointing the disgraced Minister Simelane as Minister of Human Settlements amid increasing pressure over mounting allegations of corruption that have rendered her continued leadership of the justice department wholly untenable.”
“Unsurprisingly, President Ramaphosa has once again shown South Africans that he lacks both the appetite and fortitude to break the entrenched culture of unaccountability that continues to plague our country. This cowardly move by the President also highlights the fact that his own Phala Phala demons continue to hamstring his actions when it comes to dealing with corruption in his cabinet.”
Trollip said however under no circumstances will ActionSA just accept the President’s attempt to shield the Minister from facing true accountability and as such we will continue pursuing every available avenue, including legal action, to ensure that this injustice is confronted.
“ActionSA will not stand by while Rome is burning and the President is fiddling, engaging in hollow gimmicks that undermine the very principles of justice and governance,” he added.
Democratic Alliance (DA) Justice and Constitutional Development spokesperson Advocate Glynnis Breytenbach said Ramaphosa’s failure to axe Simelane is proof that he is not a consummate leader but a leader who is indecisive and insincere in his commitment to fighting corruption.
“While the President has finally addressed the untenable conflict of interest of having a Minister of Justice accused of corruption, his decision to simply move her somewhere else does not address the underlying issue, she stands accused of corruption and is subject to investigations. Human Settlements is a vital department for providing housing to South Africans. It must be led by a credible individual,” explained Breytenbach.
uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela criticised Ramaphosa and sang a different tune to DA and ActionSA saying at the heart of this reshuffle is Minister Simelane’s courageous stance against renewing Advocate Shamila Batohi’s term as National Director of public prosecution (NDPP).
“Minister Simelane is also on record raising serious concerns about key appointments within the NPA under Batohi’s leadership, particularly the appointment of individuals who lacked the necessary security clearances. These questionable decisions have not only compromised the integrity of the NPA but have also undermined the public’s trust in its ability to operate independently and effectively,” Ndhlela said.
“Minister Simelane’s removal is not only an attack on her integrity but also a betrayal of South Africans who demand real justice and accountability. Her principled stance against political expedience and her commitment to upholding the rule of law have made her a target for an administration determined to stifle dissent.”
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys said: “It is shameful that Simelane's questionable personal loan and connections to looted funds have not disqualified her from leadership. This government has no moral compass. This unnecessary reshuffle of corrupt and incompetent ministers and deputy ministers is a blatant misdirection of resources that could be used to deliver basic services such as water, sanitation, healthcare, and education.”
DA Justice and Constitutional Development spokesperson Advocate Glynnis Breytenbach.
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys.
Athol Trollip MP, ActionSA Parliamentary Leader.
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