JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Chamber of Mines of South Africa (CoM) has come out against the summons of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, which saw the rand falling as much as 3% against the dollar on Tuesday.
The chamber said in a statement that the National Prosecuting Authority’s decision to charge Gordhan in relation to alleged fraud, as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations surrounding the South African Revenue Service (Sars), was concerning.
The fraud charge relates to a pay-out made by Sars to former deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay when he took early retirement.
National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams ordered Gordhan to appear in court on November 2.
Meanwhile, Gordhan has denied any allegations about his role in establishing a special tax unit, citing the allegations as "political mischief".
“While no individual is above the rule of the law, legal means should not be used to opportunistically pursue allegedly nefarious agendas under the guise of justice and due process,” noted the CoM.
It added that it was “deeply concerned” about the state of public institutions in South Africa and would raise the matter with the Presidency.