SACP: The EFF is trying to divert attention from its VBS troubles
The South African Communist Party (SACP) has denied receiving a donation from VBS Mutual Bank or Vele Investments.
During President Cyril Ramaphosa final question and answer session in the National Assembly last Thursday, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema said his party had written a letter SACP's general secretary Blade Nzimande, enquiring about R3 million that the embattled bank had paid towards its conference earlier this year.
The SACP's spokesperson Alex Mashilo says they have gone through their financial statement and couldn't find any trace of the alleged donation by either VBS or its main shareholder, Vele Investments.
"I have inquired with our finance department which manages our national account, they have made it very clear that we haven't received the money from the VBS or Vele Investments.
"It is not wrong for political parties to receive donations. What is wrong is when there is an act of corruption and wrongdoing."
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Mashile says those implicated in Advocate Terry Motau's forensic report must be held accountable for any wrongdoing.
Motau's report implicates more than 50 people in the theft of nearly R2 billion from the Limpopo-based bank, including senior African National Congress (ANC) officials and the brother of EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu.
"All those who are mentioned in the report to have received gratuitous payments must be held to account to the full extent of the law," Mashilo says.
He believes the EFF is trying to divert attention away from the the fact that Brian Shivambu has been fingered for receiving R16 million from the bank.
"The EFF is trying to divert attention away from them because they are mentioned, via the younger brother of Floyd Shivambu, who according to the report received R16 million rand and instead of telling the public what action they will take, they decided to close rank and divert attention."