VBS SCANDAL
KARYN MAUGHAN: EFF refuses to look in its own morality mirror
EFF leaders were quick to call for Nhlanhla Nene’s sacking but seem to be sweeping Floyd Shivambu’s dodgy association under the carpet
The EFF had a real opportunity this week to show SA’s voters that it holds itself and its members to the same high standards it demands of government leaders. However, the party, which identifies itself as a champion for the rights of the poor and marginalised, is completely blowing that chance. The EFF’s reaction to the SA Reserve Bank’s report on the R2bn looting of VBS Mutual Bank — which names the brother of its deputy president Floyd Shivambu as a beneficiary of R16m in “gratuitous payments” from the bank — can best be described as a total cop out. The party resorted to a strategy long used by the ANC in responding to damning findings made by the public protector, auditor-general or other oversight bodies: refer the alleged wrongdoing to law enforcement and avoid any responsibility in holding your own senior leaders accountable. In a statement released late on Wednesday night, the EFF made no specific mention of Shivambu’s brother, and did not say it would conduct its own inves...
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