Parliament to debate bank scandal
Implicated ANC members warned
Parliament has scheduled a debate on the VBS financial scandal‚ in which R1.9 bn was looted from the bank by politically connected figures.
The motion – proposed by ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu under the title “The VBS Mutual Bank Report: The
Great Bank Heist – a matter of public importance”, is due to be debated on Tuesday, a day before the medium-term budget policy statement is to be presented by finance minister Tito Mboweni.
“The ANC parliamentary caucus saw it prudent to bring this matter of public importance‚ affecting the most vulnerable of our people who invested their hard-earned monies in the VBS Mutual Bank‚ to parliament for debate‚” said Mthembu in a statement yesterday.
He explained that they also supported calls that all those implicated in the looting‚ including ANC political figures‚ should be referred to law-enforcement agencies.
“Our stance on this matter is informed by our conviction that those who have been found guilty of any wrong [have] to be processed by our law-enforcement agencies.
“We further reiterate the stance of our organisation that leaders and members of the ANC who are implicated and/or accused of wrongdoing in the report be referred to the integrity commission of the ruling party.
“This is in line with the ANC’s 54th conference resolutions [in Nasrec] on combating fraud and corruption, and restoring the values and integrity of the ANC.”
DA leader Mmusi Maimane had on Wednesday written to National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete, requesting a similar debate.
But Mthembu’s spokesperson Nonceba Mhlauli said next week was the ANC’s turn to sponsor a motion for a debate in terms of parliament’s rotational system.
“Parliament has established a rotational basis within which political parties introduce motions for debate in the National Assembly,” said Mhlauli. Based on the rotational schedule‚ next week is the ANC’s slot for sponsoring a debate.
“The ANC therefore felt that it is prudent to use this opportunity to debate this matter of extreme public importance affecting the poorest of the poor who invested their hardearned monies into the bank.”