Hawks to swoop on Gordhan

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan is at the centre of a Hawks' probe, and the NPA was preparing to arrest him. File picture: Siphiwe Sibeko

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan is at the centre of a Hawks' probe, and the NPA was preparing to arrest him. File picture: Siphiwe Sibeko

Published Aug 29, 2016

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Johannesburg - The putative charges against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan are politically motivated and a way of stopping his fight against corruption, the ANC’s tripartite alliance partner, the SACP, believes.

“They are designed as a pretext to remove Comrade Gordhan from office and weaken Treasury’s struggle against corruption and corporate capture,” SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande said at a media briefing in Joburg on Sunday following the party’s central committee meeting at the weekend.

This comes as the Hawks seem to have moved a step closer to arresting Gordhan after the National Prosecuting Authority confirmed it has received the docket relating to the Sars rogue unit

This followed speculation in the past week after Gordhan failed to show up at the Hawks’ offices on Thursday for a warning statement.

NPA spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku confirmed on Sunday that Gordhan and two former senior officials at Sars face charges. However, he did not indicate when Gordhan was going to be formally charged.

“We confirm receipt of the docket relating to the Sars rogue unit matter on Friday,” said Mfaku.

“Prosecutors are going to analyse and evaluate the evidence contained in the docket. If there is no outstanding investigation, a decision on whether or not to prosecute any person will be made,” he said, without mentioning Gordhan by name.

The minister is at the centre of the Hawks' probe, and the NPA was preparing to arrest him. But Mfaku said that decision had not been made yet. He could not say whether Gordhan would appear in court soon.

“No decision has been taken to prosecute any person in relation to the matter,” he added.

The NPA's confirmation came after Gordhan told National Treasury staff on Friday that the Gupta family were behind his troubles with the Hawks. He was fighting a battle to “save the country’s purse from the thieves”.

But the Guptas denied any involvement in the prosecution of Gordhan by the Hawks, saying they were business people and not involved in politics.

At the weekend, the Guptas announced they were selling all their business interests in South Africa. They said they had already spoken to some of the prospective international buyers of their companies, none of which were named.

Treasury spokeswoman Phumza Macanda could not be reached for comment on Sunday.

Gordhan has received backing from Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who said the minister was a man with unquestionable integrity. The SACP on Sunday also came out in defence of Gordhan.

This followed the attack on Gordhan by his cabinet colleague Des van Rooyen, who called on him to subject himself to the law. Van Rooyen, who briefly succeeded Nhlanhla Nene at the Treasury in December before the markets imploded, said Gordhan was not above the law.

He said even President Jacob Zuma had subjected himself to the same process when pursued by law enforcement agencies a few years ago. Van Rooyen, who is minister of co-operative governance and traditional affairs, had a four-day stint in the Treasury before being replaced by Gordhan.

The Star

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