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The Democratic Alliance will request Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interest to investigate the EFF’s Chief Whip, Floyd Shivambu, for alleged payments received from VBS Mutual Bank.

It was recently reported that the EFF had received R1.3 million of VBS funds, while Shivambu received R10 million. These payments were allegedly made during the period of 2015-2017.

If Shivambu did indeed receive payments from VBS,  they are in contravention of Members’ Code of Conduct as there is no indication that he declared these monies in the 2015-2017 Declaration of Members Interest and Payments in Parliament.

Clause 4.1.3 of the Code of Conduct clearly stipulates that members must “act in accordance with the public trust placed in them” and clause 5.1.1 states that members must  “resolve any financial or business conflict of interest”, including declaring such interests.

Shivambu has called the allegations “weapons of mass deception and propaganda machines”.

The DA, therefore, challenges Shivambu to also undergo a lifestyle audit. Surely if he has nothing to hide, he will be transparent and do the right thing.

The EFF has, on numerous occasions, claimed to be fighting on behalf of poor and vulnerable South Africans, yet the looting of VBS Mutual Bank has led to the suffering of many vulnerable South Africans.

Hard-working South Africans almost lost their life savings and have been forced to wait in long lines, often overnight, just to make sure they could get their money.

This scandal will possibly have serious consequences for the 15 municipalities which deposited R1.5 billion with the bank as they are now at risk of losing billions in revenue. This will ultimately have severe consequences on service delivery.

The DA will not refrain from taking action against those who have been implicated in the VBS heist and we will continue to defend those who have been victims of this corruption.

Issued by DA