Former Minister of International Relations Naledi Pandor has denied allegations that she received a bond from the now defunct VBS Mutual Bank. This comes after EFF leader Julius Malema made the allegations during an interview with the SABC last night.

THE ALLEGATIONS

During the interview, responding on how he was cleared by the Parliamentary Ethics Committee on any wrong doings in relation to VBS, Malema said that the bank was being used in internal factional politics within the ANC. Malema said that he or his family never received anything from VBS and that he was cleared by Parliament Ethics Committee. He went on to say that a lot of ANC leaders benefitted from VBS. "Naledi Pandor was also in the VBS bond or something. Yes, she was there, they are your darlings, you'll never know their names. You know the names of those you don't like. To demonstrate there is no principle, many names, a lot of names are there. This is just used to blackmail people,' Malema said. Malema also alleged that Justice Minister Thembi Simelane was being targeted because she is fighting for the independence of the National Prosecuting Authority. Simelane came under fire when she was exposed to having received a loan from Gundo Wealth Solutions, a company implicated in the VBS scandal.

BASELESS CLAIMS

In a statement this morning, the former Minister said Malema's claims were baseless. "I unequivocally deny ever receiving such a bond and challenge Mr. Malema to publicly present the evidence supporting this falsehood. Should he fail to do so, I demand a public apology for not only lying about me but also tarnishing my reputation. As a leader of a political party represented in Parliament, I am deeply disappointed by Mr. Malema's dishonesty. It is appalling that he would resort to such low tactics in an attempt to damage my good name," Pandor said in a statement.