ANC integrity commission has started looking into VBS scandal
22 October 2018
Chairperson of the ANC’s integrity commission, George Mashamba, says it has started looking into the VBS Mutual Bank saga and is hoping to meet in the coming weeks with its members who were implicated.
The names of the party's provincial deputy chairperson Florence Radzilani, and treasurer Danny Msiza, were among the 53 mentioned in a damning report released this month by advocate Terry Motau and law firm Werksmans Attorneys, on the looting of R1.8bn from VBS.
VBS head of treasury Phophi Mukhodobwane testified that Msiza had played the role of political influencer and fixer, convincing many political leaders of municipalities to invest money in the bank.
While Msiza is challenging the report in court and Radzilani is still mulling over what action to take, the ANC’s integrity commission is seeking more information on the alleged involvement of its officials in the saga.
"We met last week, looked at two documents, one produced by the Reserve Bank, and also the statement by the PEC [provincial executive committee] of Limpopo. Going through the document from the bank, we feel we need to get more information and then make a decision on what to do about it," Mashamba told News24.
The ANC’s top officials met with members who were implicated in the scandal, with the party’s secretariat announcing a decision to refer the matter to the integrity commission.
Mashamba, who said the commission would possibly meet with implicated members in two weeks, when it had all the necessary documents, said their role as elders of the organisation was to ensure that the actions of ANC officials were in keeping with the party's principles.
"We are more than just a policy instrument to keep people in line. For me, the main thing is that the ANC and its members have integrity in everything it does," he said.
He said the commission did not want to just be reactive when it came to issues in the ANC.
"It has to involve more than finding out who’s erred; that would be reactive. We want to be more proactive."
Meanwhile, the PEC in Limpopo has called on its municipalities to take action against those who were involved in channelling municipal funds into the bank.
