Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe has denied that the cabinet has refused to deal with public spats among ministers and attacks on Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.
Radebe said yesterday, in a post-cabinet briefing in Parliament, the cabinet had in the last few weeks discussed issues around Gordhan.
This followed attacks on Gordhan by some of his colleagues in the cabinet that he must co-operate with the Hawks.
Gordhan has been a subject of an investigation by the Hawks for the establishment of a rogue unit at the SA Revenue Service. He was commissioner at Sars for 10 years.
His cabinet colleague Des van Rooyen has lashed out at Gordhan, calling on him to surrender to the Hawks.
Radebe dismissed suggestions yesterday that the cabinet has not discussed the public spats.
He said that in the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, this matter was not discussed, but in the past it was dealt with.
He said the cabinet had warned ministers against attacking each other in public.
The ANC had also warned Van Rooyen, who is the Minister of Co-operative Governance, against using various platforms to attack Gordhan.
This was after Van Rooyen, in his capacity as treasurer of the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association, urged Gordhan to stop crying foul and co-operate with the Hawks.
Radebe said the cabinet wanted the public to rally behind efforts to get the country back on track to avoid a downgrade in December.
He added that the cabinet often discusses how to fix the economy.
Gordhan is leading a team of business executives to reignite growth in the economy.
The economy rebounded last week after Statistics South Africa announced 3.3 percent growth in the second quarter.
But Gordhan warned in Parliament that this did not mean the worst was over for South Africa.
Economists have also warned that public spats and attacks on Gordhan by his cabinet colleagues and threats by the Hawks risked instability and dented investor confidence.
Despite appeals from business for Jacob Zuma to intervene against the arrest of Gordhan, the president has said he was not able to do so.