Criminal syndicate within ANC benefited from defunct VBS Bank: Mapaila

South African Communist Party (SACP) Secretary General Solly Mapaila has alleged that a criminal syndicate working inside the African National Congress (ANC) has benefited from the illegal investments made by municipalities in the defunct VBS Mutual Bank.

Mapaila was speaking at the third memorial lecture in honor of Timson Musetsho and Ronald Mani at the Thohoyandou town hall in Limpopo on Saturday.

The two South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) leaders were shot and killed in two separate incidents in Thohoyandou four years ago. They were against the Vhembe District Municipality investing R300 million in the defunct VBS Mutual Bank.

The Radzuma siblings, Percy and Simon, will be tried in the High Court next month for the murders.

Mapaila says he is confident that the mastermind behind their killing will be arrested.

‘We are quite certain as the communist party that we will find the real killers of our comrades and let them also reveal their masters like this investment in VBS what does the ANC benefit out of VBS the ANC doesn’t benefit but the criminal syndicate that hijacked the ANC benefit out of it so the VBS scandal is a major problem for us.”

To find closure, the families want those charged with their deaths to be convicted. The two were allegedly murdered for speaking out against VBS investment in the municipality.

A spokesperson for Musetsho’s family, Matodzi Nevondo says it is sad that nothing much has been done to deal with those implicated in the VBS corruption.

“Yes, there are some charges laid but that is not enough as a family we want convictions as a family we see corruption beyond VBS,” says Nevondo.

Meanwhile, Ronald Mani’s son, Hulisani says his father and Musetsho were sold out by people close to them who wanted to be deployed to higher positions.

“We have seen people who pushing struggle with Vho Robert Mani selling their soul because they wanted to be accommodated, it can’t because when this comrade was in the struggle it was not about them but about those who cannot speak for themselves, it was about community members whose services were being taken away because they are self-centered. They had to sell their soul so that they are accommodated but there are those who are with comrades who are saying even if we are a sideline, we are going to find corruption until then even if we are not accommodated,” says Hulisani.

Political killings

ANC NEC member Soviet Lekganyane says people who plot to kill people who speak out against corruption must be arrested.

Lekganyane also speaks about other political killings that happened in the Mogalakwena Local Municipality in Mokopane.

“Comrade Timson Musetsho is refusing to die. Comrades Valtyn Kekana and Ralph Kanyane; comrades Madimetja Piet Pale and Lieka Lekalakala are refusing to die. They will only die the day that the people who have plotted their death are publicly announced when nobody speaks about this corruption they were no killings.”