Pressure is mounting on President Cyril Ramaphosa to come clean following a report suggesting he allegedly knew about claims linking Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Thembi Simelane to VBS funds before appointing her to the executive.
The Sunday World reported that Simelane told the ANC’s Integrity Commission that Ramaphosa had questioned her about the loan and she provided the details when he appointed her as deputy minister in August 2021.
The publication further reported that Simelane submitted documents confirming that the matter was investigated by the Limpopo Provincial Treasury, which made adverse findings against her, and the ANC in Limpopo dealt with the issue.
But Simelane’s spokesperson Tsekiso Machike refuted the article that the Minister told the ANC Integrity Commission that she took Ramaphosa into confidence about the now repaid loan with Gundo Wealth Solutions.
“The article is devoid of truthfulness and carries misleading messages that are not fair to the minister and the president.
“Furthermore, the article does not represent the minister’s submission to the ANC Integrity Commission,” said Machike.
Contacted for comment on Monday, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said: “You saw the Minister refuted the Sunday World account. So it's obvious the story is not true.”
However, the Sunday World stated that it was in possession of the recording of the oral representation Simelane submitted to the ANC Integrity Commission and stood by its story.
The attention has now shifted to Ramaphosa, with the DA and ActionSA calling on him to come clean.
DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach said the apparent contradiction cannot go unaddressed.
“If Ramaphosa was indeed aware of this matter from the beginning, his current demand for an explanation about information he already possesses raises serious questions about his apparent refusal to act against Simelane.”
ActionSA parliamentary leader Athol Trollip said his party was alarmed by the glaring absence of accountability from Ramaphosa.
The ANC’s spokesperson in Limpopo Jimmy Machaka could not be reached for comment.
The “Cape Times” recently reported that attempts to remove Simelane were allegedly part of plans to apparently capture the National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigating Directorate.
Part of this, according to sources close to the matter, was the appointment of former Zondo Commission of inquiry evidence leaders Paul Pretorius and Matthew Chaskalson as ID’s “consultants” despite not having been granted security clearance certificates.
Cape Times