ActionSA has denounced Justice Minister Thembi Simelane's planned attendance at the BRICS Ministers of Justice meeting in Russia, calling for her suspension pending the outcome of ongoing investigations.

The meeting will be held between Wednesday and Friday, and seeks to strengthen relations between Ministries of Justice from BRICS countries with the Department of Justice saying in a statement that it is envisaged that the BRICS meeting will culminate in improved relations between the BRICS Ministries of Justice, resolutions to issues related to the areas of cooperation and the organisation of advanced training programmes in the legal fraternity.

Earlier this month, Simelane appeared before the Justice Portfolio Committee meeting, and she is scheduled to meet with President Cyril Ramaphosa, relating to her alleged corrupt involvement with a VBS Mutual Bank loan.

It was alleged that while serving as the mayor of Polokwane in 2016, Simelane took a loan of R575 600 from Gundo Wealth Solutions, a company that brokered “unlawful” investments of R349-million into VBS Bank on behalf of the Polokwane municipality, amongst others.

ActionSA parliamentary leader Athol Trollip said considering the cloud of serious allegations of corruption that directly affected her role as the head of the Department of Justice, along with concerns about a potential conflict of interest regarding her influence over the National Prosecuting Authority, the party strongly believed she should not be travelling in any official capacity until her name was cleared.

“Given the multitude of unanswered questions surrounding the potentially corrupt transactions, the serious implications if she is found guilty, and the potential impact on her continued leadership of South Africa's justice system, ActionSA is committed to ensuring this matter is thoroughly investigated. As such, we believe the Minister should be suspended pending the outcome of the ongoing investigations,” said Trollip.

The party said it would continue to pursue all avenues to ensure the Minister was held accountable and the integrity of the justice system was safeguarded.

Ramaphosa has previously requested a detailed report and briefing from Simelane on the matter.