VBS Scandal: Minister in the Presidency Urges Crackdown on Culprits

• Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni hoped that law enforcement agencies would arrest the other perpetrators implicated in the VBS saga
• Ntshavheni was reacting to the sentencing of former VBS Board Chairperson Tshifiwa Matodzi
• Ntshavheni said the looting of VBS did not just break the law but also had a detrimental impact on the people of Vhembe

Zingisa Chirwa is an experienced Briefly News journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, who has covered current affairs on the radio for over 15 years.

The Minister in the Presidency said the looting of VBS Mutual Bank did not just break the law but also had a detrimental impact on the people of Vhembe:

“You have not yet quantified the impact of the VBS saga to the ordinary people of Vhembe... stokvels, the burial societies, the aged who had lost their pension."

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Khumbudzo Ntshavheni spoke to EWN on the sidelines of the Cabinet Lekgotla in Pretoria on 13 July 2024, three days after Tshifiwa Matodzi's sentencing.

VBS board chair sentenced

The former VBS Board Chair was handed 15 years behind bars after pleading guilty to 33 fraud-related charges. After his sentencing, Matodzi’s affidavit, which implicated EFF leaders and a former director-general in the National Treasury and the SACP, was leaked.

Ntshavheni said that the State hoped Matodzi's guilty plea would allow authorities to quickly catch the other perpetrators in the so-called R2bn VBS money heist.

Mzansi calls for accountability for all scandals

Many netizens believed the government should focus on money-related scandals, not just VBS.

@IamTomTsibinki said:

“Exactly, and everyone that launders money through animals must be held accountable, too.”

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@RNaidoo suggested:

“Let @NPA_Prosecutes finish with #VBSBank looters. They should then start with the Phala Phala case.”

@Mthuli4 added:

“Let me rephrase it for you; the money launderer says everyone involved in VBS looting must be held accountable, unlike what happened with the Phala Phala saga."

@Modisanecharles asked:

“What about all in Steinhof, Covid, Diko saga, Phala Phala?”

@pipey47 wondered:

“Really? The presidency? Same guys who ignored the Zondo findings... mxm - other people will bring us justice, not the presidency.”

NPA condemns affidavit leak in VBS case

Briefly News reported that the NPA condemned the leaking of an affidavit in the VBS corruption case.

The authority explored legal options to address the breach and ensure accountability. Netizens, however, wanted those implicated in the affidavit to be arrested.

Source: Briefly News