During recent question-and-answer session, Justice Minister Thembi Simelane provided detailed insights into the role of the Department of Justice in matters concerning prosecutions, particularly in the case of the VBS Mutual Bank.
According to Simelane she did receive a loan from a company in Polokwane at the time she was mayor and paid back the money.
Simelane was clear in dismissing any speculation of an improper relationship with a third party, saying, There was no armed relationship with a third company as far as the loan was concerned.
Simelane said that the loan was used to buy a coffee shop, a venture she had hoped would provide extra income.
Addressing the committee, Simelane clarified that decisions on prosecutions are not made at the ministerial level but rather by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP).
