Call for snap debate on attack against Gordhan
The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Thursday called for a snap debate on what it called the political assault against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and the National Treasury.
DA shadow minister of finance David Maynier said in a statement that he has sent a request to Speaker of the National Assembly Baleka Mbete for a debate "of public importance on what appears to be a deliberate campaign to intimidate the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, and to undermine National Treasury".
He was hoping for a debate before the recess on May 26.
Since his reappointment in December to the post he held from 2009 to 2014, Gordhan has been facing one headwind after another amid efforts to restore investor confidence and ward off a junk credit rating.
The latest came in a report of Gordhan facing imminent arrest after the Hawks handed a docket over to the National Prosecuting Authority for his involvement in the SA Revenue Service’s “rogue unit”.
In response to that, Maynier said Gordhan's "arrest" would cause an economic earthquake, which would make “9/12” look like a minor economic tremor.
"9/12" refers to December 9 last year when President Jacob Zuma unceremoniously sacked then finance minister Nhlanhla Nene, replacing him with the unknown Des van Rooyen. Van Rooyen’s appointment lasted only four days before Gordhan was recalled to his old post.
On Thursday Maynier said the country is at a “tipping point” with economic growth collapsing, 8.9-million people unemployed; and the economy in danger of a ratings downgrade.
"We cannot afford what amounts to a sustained political assault on the finance minister, and the only highly professional officials at National Treasury," said Maynier.
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation