Natasha Mazzone urges SAPS to 'speed up' investigation of Malema & Shivambu over alleged VBS looting

DA MP Natasha Mazzone has called on the SA Police Service to "speed up" its investigation into charges laid by the party against EFF leader Julius Malema and his deputy Floyd Shivambu. 

This comes after Shivambu's brother, Brian, reportedly signed an acknowledgement of debt for R4.55-million with VBS Mutual Bank-linked Vele Investments; while admitting that there was “no underlying basis for the payment”

Daily Maverick reported that Brian’s attorneys insisted on a confidentiality clause when signing the acknowledgement.

Malema, Shivambu, and Brian are all implicated in the collapse of VBS Mutual Bank and the alleged looting of funds which dates back to 2018. 

Sunday Times reported that Malema allegedly personally benefited from VBS funds and companies that did business with the Limpopo government.

Malema has denied all the allegations against him.

Last year, TimesLIVE reported that Malema was unfazed about reports of looming investigations into him, his family and the party's deputy leader, Floyd Shivambu.

According to the Sunday Times, the state capture inquiry allegedly issued SA's major banks with subpoenas to provide all Malema's financial records, and those of his wife, Mantoa, and his late grandmother, Sarah.

Mazzone said Brian's alleged admission had “blown" Malema and Shivambu's "cover", and called for SAPS to speed up its investigations. 

“The cloak of secrecy surrounding the admission is revealing and effectively nullifies claims by the EFF that it was not involved in the looting of pensioners’ money,” she said. 

“Now that Malema and Shivambu’s cover appears to have been blown, the DA expects SAPS to expedite its investigation so that the EFF leadership is brought to book for their alleged looting of VBS at the expense of the poor and elderly.”

Mazzone said it had been more than two years since the DA laid charges against EFF and to this day, it had not received any communication from the SAPS.

“The DA will not stop when it comes to rooting out corruption, we will continue to pressurise the police until they put corrupt politicians and officials behind bars,” she said.