Fellow Cabinet members were not forewarned of Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane’s announcement of a judicial inquiry into banks and read about it in the media, Cabinet spokesperson and Presidency Minister Jeff Radebe said on Thursday.

“No, I also like all of you read it in the newspaper,” Radebe told a briefing on Cabinet’s regular fortnightly meeting.

Asked repeatedly whether Zwane would by censured for making a false announcement two weeks ago that Cabinet had agreed to an inquiry into banks’ decision to break ties with the Gupta family’s Oakbay Investments, Radebe said he could only say that President Jacob Zuma had made it clear he would raise the matter with the minister.

Zuma this week told the National Assembly he was engaging with Zwane and cautioned that the furore should not be read as a sign of strife within government. Last week, in the National Assembly, Zwane had appeared unrepentant and reiterated that there was a need for a probe.

“The statement by the office of the president is very explicit in repudiating the statement that was made by minister Zwane on the issue of the banks. There is no more that I can add on that,” Radebe said.

He confirmed that Zwane attended Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting but said he was not interrogated there about the matter. Radebe also said that the Hawks’s pursuit of an investigation against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan was not discussed, nor were public clashes between ministers and heads of state entities.

“There was no discussion in Cabinet about the investigation by the Hawks of the minister of finance.”

Asked why Cabinet did not see fit to discuss issues that loomed so large on the political landscape, Radebe wearily replied that Cabinet has talked about these, if not at this week’s meeting, and there have been statements expressing concern.

“Previously there were statements that were issued by Cabinet indicating that public spats amongst ministers and executives including [of] state owned companies are not acceptable, there are appropriate forums that deal with those matters, including this matter of Minister Zwane, as I am reiterating,” he said.

“I do not want to create an impression that Cabinet does not discuss those matters.”

Further asked whether ministers were too intimidated to air their views at Cabinet meetings, he said: “I do not know of anybody in Cabinet who is afraid of airing their views.”

In the wake of a war of words between, among others Gordhan and Eskom chief executive Brian Molefe, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa recently cautioned against “open conflict” between government ministers and state institutions.
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“A well-functioning government is not at war with itself,” Ramaphosa said. But on Tuesday, in his quarterly question and answer session in the National Assembly, Zuma contradicted his deputy, saying the perception of conflict was unfounded.