Author: Pauli van Wyk (Daily Maverick) and Kyle Cowan (News24)

Justice Minister Thembi Simelane has been avoiding interviews with News24 and Daily Maverick despite the recent media coverage surrounding her 2016 VBS-linked loan. Despite participating in other interviews and facing questions in Parliament, Simelane has yet to address the detailed requests for an interview to shed light on the loan. Simelane took a questionable “loan” from a company linked to VBS, using the money to purchase a coffee shop while denying any conflict of interest. She claims to have repaid the loan but has not provided evidence of the payments, raising concerns about her financial dealings. With mounting pressure for…