ActionSA Celebrates Investigations Into Charges Against Thembi Simelane; Hawks Refute the Claims

• ActionSA laid criminal charges against Thembi Simelane for fraud and corruption
• The Justice Minister is linked to the VBS Bank scandal but has denied wrongdoing
• The Hawks have denied they are investigating the minister, despite ActionSA thinking they are

Is Justice Minister Thembi Simelane being investigated in connection with corruption and forgery charges?

ActionSA certainly seem to think so, but the Hawks have yet to confirm the news.

Simelane has been linked to the VBS Bank scandal, leading many to call for her resignation.

ActionSA lay charges against Simelane

While many parties called for Simelane to step down from her post as Justice Minister, Herman Mashaba's party took it one step further by laying charges against her.

They laid criminal charges against her for alleged violations of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act as well as forgery.

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This is related to the loan she received from Gundo Wealth Solutions, an investment brokerage at the heart of the VBS scandal.

Simelane used the money to buy a coffee shop in Sandton but denied that she had any links to the VBS scandal. She maintains that she dealt solely with Gundo Wealth Solutions.

Hawks refute claims they're investigating Simelane

Mashaba's party have since put out a statement saying they welcomed confirmation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) that it is investigating the charges.

However, the Hawks have yet to confirm that they are investigating the Justice Minister.

In a post shared to X (formerly Twitter), the Hawks said they were aware of claims made they were investigating the charges laid by ActionSA.

They also added that it was not in their policy to confirm individuals who are subject to any investigation to protect the integrity of the case.

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ActionSA call on Simelane to resign

Briefly News previously reported how ActionSA called on the Justice Minister to resign from her post.

The party expressed concern that, given her links to the VBS scandal, she would be involved in a conflict of interest.

They noted that they were concerned about her influence over the NPA who were investigating the VBS matter.

Source: Briefly News