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Political parties slam Shivambu’s involvement with VBS

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EFF deputy president and Chief Whip Floyd Shivambu stood by his party’s stance in denying that he had benefited financially from his brother Brian, who is implicated in the VBS Mutual Bank debacle.

MPs from different political parties lambasted Shivambu, with DA members chanting that he should ‘pay the back the money’, in an echo of the EFF’s disruption of the State of Nation Address by former President Jacob Zuma in 2016.

Shivambu sought to shift the blame for the entire VBS saga to the door of the national treasury.

“I just want to give you a context. From 2014, the national treasury, the South African Reserve Bank, the department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs have also been aware that municipalities are depositing money in a mutual bank against law.”

“The national treasury didn’t do anything about it. Even when the national treasury was asked about it, they just gave the list of municipalities that were exposed to the VBS.”

Meanwhile Agang SA member of parliament Andries Plouamma says it is unfortunate that Shivambu is still showing some elements of arrogance despite being implicated in the VBS bank saga through his brother’s involvement.

He says Shivambu should be the last to teach the nation what went wrong in the VBS bank.

The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Zweli Mkhize, says the VBS bank saga should not be used as an excuse to deprive poor people of access to the main stream economy.

Mkhize says despite the unfortunate situation, many more black-owned financial institutions are needed to ensure transformation is achieved.

Also COPE leader Mosiuoa Lekota says for the ANC to join hands in condemning the saga of the VBS bank is indicative of its hypocritical tendencies because the municipalities which were involved in the allegations were under the ANC governance.

The IFP has joined other political parties in parliament calling for all those involved in the VBS bank scandal to be brought to book.

Speaking during the debate on a motion on the VBS bank debated in the National Assembly, IFP MP Mkhuleko Hlengwa said law enforcement agencies should work swiftly in their investigations in order to ensure all those involved are brought to book.

Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald was asked to leave the National Assembly Chamber after he refused to withdraw his comment calling EFF Leader Julius Malema a ‘Mickey Mouse commander-in-chief’.

House Chairperson Cedric Frolick ordered Groenewald to withdraw his remark, but the FF Plus leader refused to budge and preferred to leave the Chamber.

Click video below:

Click below for the full debate in Parliament

 

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