DA lays criminal charges against Zweli Mkhize over alleged VBS kickbacks

31 October 2018

The DA has today laid criminal charges against Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Zweli Mkhize, in terms of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act and Section 6 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA) following reports that he had allegedly siphoned a R2 million ‘donation’ from Vele Investments, in 2016 during his tenure as ANC treasurer-general, in return for his help in raising funds from municipalities and state institutions.

Section 6 of POCA states that “any person who (a) acquires; (b) uses; or (c) has possession of, property and who knows or ought reasonably to have known that it is or forms part of the proceeds of unlawful activities of another person, shall be guilty of an offence.”

“Minister Mkhize is clearly conflicted and this explains why there was little action taken by him to intervene in the several municipalities that lost money to the VBS Heist. The Minister must do the right thing and resign as he has clearly failed to fulfil his duties as Minister and has seemingly breached his oath of office,” Mileham said.

The looting of VBS will continue to impact service delivery for a long time. Many people nearly lost their life savings and the families of the bank’s retrenched employees have lost a valuable source of income.

“The DA is the only party that has continuously fought tooth-and-nail for justice for those who have been affected by the looting of VBS. It is now in the hands of the police to investigate these charges to ensure that the Minister is held accountable for any wrongdoing,” said Mileham.

The DA is committed to building One South Africa for All, free from corruption. Under a DA government, corruption will be punishable by a 15-year prison sentence. In 2019, citizens can remove the failing and corrupt ANC by voting for a party that will prioritise the people and clean governance.

Issued by Kevin Mileham, DA Shadow Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, 31 October 2018