Cape Town - African National Congress secretary-general Gwede Mantashe on Friday expressed the ruling party’s full support for Pravin Gordhan as it emerged that the finance minister was sent a list of questions by the Hawks four days before he tabled the annual budget this week.
Mantashe said the move by the elite investigating unit, and the fact that it was relayed to the media, pointed to a clear plot to undermine Gordhan as he delivered a budget seen as critical to put the country’s economy back on an even keel.
Read: The full round-up: #Budget2016
“The ANC commends the minister of finance and his team for the hard work and the energy that they invested thus far. We further reiterate our full confidence in the minister and his team for the work they continue to do,” Mantashe said in statement.
“It is unfortunate that there are now initiatives that are intended to undermine this work, reverse the gains our economy has made and have a destabilising effect in the long term,” he added.
“We are extremely concerned that four days before the minister delivered the budget speech, questions from the Hawks were sent to the minister. The timing of these questions indicates clearly that there was intention to distract the minister during this important time. It is even more disconcerting that these questions were leaked to the media.”
ANA