DA demands VBS saga money to be paid back
Members of the DA recently marched to the Office of the Premier, where they handed over a memorandum which relates to the VBS Bank report that was released a fortnight ago.
POLOKWANE – The march, on Tuesday 23 October, started from SABC Park and headed to the Office of the Premier.
The DA demands that the Premier, Stanley Chupu Mathabatha takes action against all public representatives and top ANC officials implicated in the VBS Mutual Bank scandal.
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They also demanded that the money be paid back.
DA member in the Gauteng Legislature, Gana Makashule called for those implicated to be arrested immediately.
“We are not only here to say that it’s the money of the municipalities. We are talking about the grandmothers and grandfathers who put in their last savings and are not so sure what is going to happen now. We are more concerned with the money that belongs to the elderly that needs to be returned.”
Asked if it wasn’t premature for the DA to take action considering that the findings of the investigation will only be known in November, DA National Spokesperson Solly Malatsi said that an investigation does not mean that normal processes in the justice system should stop.
“An investigation is about looking at their conduct within their professional space, meaning if the ANC government was serious, they could have laid criminal charges while the investigation was taking place.
“There is nowhere that states that because an investigation is done, you can’t take action. There is political action that could have been taken and so far they haven’t,” he said.
Thandi Moraka, the MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture accepted the memorandum on behalf of Provincial Government.
“As Provincial Government we are going to work together with all the communities to make sure that we root out all issues of corruption concerning VBS.
“Rest assured, that all your demands in the memorandum are going to be given the necessary attention that they deserve by the Provincial Government. You know there are municipal managers and CEO’s that are being subjected to consequences,” she said.
