Parliament - Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's first budget back in the portfolio earned him unexpected high praise from Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema on Wednesday.
Malema said South Africans should rally around the minister and the budget he tabled because he had done what he needed to avert having “our country relegated to junk status” - a reference to the much predicted loss of investment rate credit rating.
He also praised the amnesty for the declaration of offshore assets, saying it appeared that the minister had heeded a letter the EFF wrote to him earlier this week, urging a clampdown on aggressive tax avoidance.
“We are very happy because we wrote a letter two days ago and the minister spoke to it with commitment. He has put a timeframe and said it was a serious matter,” Malema said. “The minister came to present the budget at the most difficult time. It is time we put aside political and ideological differences and show a sign of unity... There are still men and women of honour,” he added.
“We think it is necessary to rally behind the minister's budget. When asked why he was prepared to listen to Gordhan, who was appointed by President Jacob Zuma, when he was not prepared to listen to Zuma's state of the nation address earlier this month, but made a dramatic exit from the National Assembly,” he said: “Pravin Gordhan was not appointed by Jacob Zuma. Zuma wanted Van Rooyen,” a reference to the president's comment earlier this week that he still believed David van Rooyen, who is now local government minister, was the most competent person to head National Treasury.
Malema stressed that it was only because of “interventions” from elsewhere that Zuma had replaced Van Rooyen with Gordhan in December, just four days after he had fired trusted finance minister Nhlanhla Nene and imposed the former backbencher.
African News Agency (ANA)