President Cyril Ramaphosa made a bold move on Tuesday by removing corruption accused justice minister Thembi Simelane from her position in a mini-reshuffle of his cabinet. Simelane has been redeployed to the human settlements portfolio, swapping places with Mmamoloko Kubayi, a staunch ally of the president in the ANC national executive committee.
Simelane has been under fire for allegedly receiving a R500,000 “loan” from Gundo Wealth Solutions, which facilitated unlawful investments by the Polokwane local municipality in the now-defunct VBS Mutual Bank back in 2016, during her tenure as mayor of the city. The conflict of interest raised by these allegations prompted mounting pressure on the president to take action against Simelane and remove her from the justice portfolio, which oversees the National Prosecuting Authority.
Despite the accusations against her, Simelane has not faced any criminal charges. However, investigations by News24 have revealed that she lived beyond her means while serving as mayor of Polokwane, a city that has since recovered the R349 million illegally invested in VBS.
In a statement released on Tuesday night, President Ramaphosa justified his decision to reshuffle his cabinet as a means to ensure the effectiveness of his government in delivering its mandate. Alongside Simelane’s redeployment, the deputy minister of mineral and petroleum resources, Phumzile Mgcina, has been moved to the employment and labor portfolio, with Judith Menadzinga-Tshabalala taking on Mgcina’s former role.
The president’s decision to retain Simelane in his cabinet has drawn criticism from opposition parties, with the Democratic Alliance’s Glynnis Breytenbach calling it “short-sighted and disrespectful to South Africa.” Breytenbach emphasized the need for a credible leader in the vital human settlements department and urged the president to remove Simelane from the cabinet immediately.
Simelane herself addressed the allegations before parliament’s justice portfolio committee in September, claiming that the loan she received was repaid in three tranches and that the municipality’s investments in VBS were recovered before the bank collapsed.
The president’s reshuffle reflects his commitment to addressing corruption within his government, but the decision to redeploy Simelane rather than remove her entirely has sparked controversy and calls for stronger action. The coming days will reveal the impact of these changes on the administration and its efforts to combat corruption in South Africa.
