Africa-Press – South-Africa. South Africa’s Democratic Alliance laid corruption charges against Human Settlements Minister Thembisile Simelane, alleging that she defrauded state power utility Eskom.
The case relates to Simelane’s time as an employee of Eskom contractor Vitrovian, with the country’s second-biggest party alleging that she fraudulently billed the utility more than R700,000 by invoicing for ghost employees.
Simelane’s signature appears on the first of the fraudulent invoices, “directly implicating her,” DA lawmaker Glynnis Breytenbach, who brought the charges, said in a statement Wednesday.
A spokesperson for Simelane acknowledged a request for comment but didn’t immediately respond.
Simelane, 52, headed the justice and constitutional development department until December, when President Cyril Ramaphosa moved her to her new portfolio amid an investigation into her conduct before she joined the cabinet.
She is a member of the African National Congress, South Africa’s biggest party. In September, it said she would appear before a disciplinary body amid allegations about a loan she received from the now-collapsed VBS Mutual Bank.
The DA’s move may add to tensions between itself and the ANC, the two largest members of the coalition government that was set up last year after elections failed to produce an outright winner.
The DA filed a legal challenge against this year’s budget process, seeking to block an increase in value-added tax.
“The president’s continued protection of Simelane raises serious questions on his ability and willingness to root out corruption at the highest level,” the DA said.
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