African National Congress (ANC) Veterans League President Snuki Zikakala on Wednesday, said they were “very” disappointed with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to redeploy corruption-accused Thembi Simelane.
He said Simelane should have been placed on leave.
Zikalala explained that the veterans league was not against Simelane, but they were merely protecting the name of the organisation, because the minister was not charged or found guilty.
“Ramaphosa should have made it clear that he puts her on leave until the letter is properly investigated then she’ll be charged if need be,” he said.
Mamoloko Kubayi will now lead the Justice Department as Simelane switches to Human Settlements, as per the cabinet reshuffle orders of Ramaphosa on Tuesday.
Simelane is accused of taking an alleged "loan" of R575,600 from Gundo Wealth Solutions, a company intimately linked to illicit municipal fund investments in the currently closed VBS bank.
According to reports, she used this money to purchase a coffee business in Sandton while serving as Polokwane's mayor.
In an interview on the Clement Manyathela Show, Zikalala said it was unfair for the “comrades” to think that they were against them whenever they called for them to be on leave.
“We are not, we are against the misdeeds which put the credibility of the organisation into disrepute," he said.
“We are saying if there is something smelly about you, immediately step aside, clear your name, and come.”
Zikalala stressed that this was not good for the ANC as they were campaigning to bring back the integrity of the party ahead of the 2026 local elections.
“We are trying to deal with mass political education of all cadres of the movement to understand what it is all about.
“You cannot have the name of the organisation tainted with individuals who are implicated in corruption. The president should have said "take leave and let’s sort this matter out.”
He emphasised that the ANC had lost the May 29 national and provincial elections and this was the time to recover but instead, they were hit by such incidents.
“The ANC constitution says to step down immediately when you are charged but if your name keeps on coming every day, it is destructive from fixing the organisation itself which suffered severely from the May 29 elections,” he added.
Furthermore, Zikalala said they would request a meeting with Ramaphosa and find out what went wrong because “it is really unacceptable.”
“We don’t have to condemn the president, we respect him as you know the decisions are made by him.
“We are going to sit down with him because comrade Thembi cannot step down because she has not been criminally charged,” he said.
“The ANC constitution says to step down immediately when you are charged but if your name keeps on coming everyday, it is destructive from fixing the organisation itself which suffered severely from the May 29 elections.”
Meanwhile, DA federal chairperson Helen Zille said Simelane should have been on leave until her alleged involvement in the VBS bank was settled.
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