AfriForum, a South African lobby group, has given the Hawks investigative unit an ultimatum to provide an update on their investigation into allegations of corruption against Fikile Mbalula, the secretary-general of the ruling African National Congress (ANC). Mbalula has been accused of accepting a partially paid-for family holiday to Dubai from Sedgars Sport, a company that supplies sports uniforms for South African Olympic athletes and officials, while he was the country’s sports minister.
The case dates back to a 2018 report by the Public Protector, which found that Sedgars Sport had paid for roughly half of the R680,000 ($47,700) trip. Despite the report’s recommendation to investigate whether the funds used to pay for the trip were the proceeds of money laundering, it appears that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) failed to act on this instruction.
AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit has now given the Hawks until the end of May to provide an update on their investigation, failing which the group plans to take legal action. According to AfriForum spokesperson Barry Bateman, the case is simple and should not have taken several law enforcement organisations this much time to conclude. The Hawks have not yet responded to the ultimatum.
