Parliament - Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has the full backing of the cabinet, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe said on Thursday.
Gordhan is expected in court on November 2 to answer to fraud charges laid against him by the National Prosecuting Authority.
The charges say that while running the South African Revenue Service, Gordhan fraudulently approved early retirement for a deputy.
Gordhan is “innocent until proven otherwise by a court of law,” Radebe told reporters.
Gordhan has also been added to a inter-ministerial task team analysing university fees following protests by students over the cost of higher education, Radebe said.
Gordhan joins the team along with the ministers of communication, human settlements and social development.
Gordhan’s earlier exclusion from the team, which from the start included the ministers of police, defence and state security, drew wide criticism.
Earlier this week, Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas told MPs he would caution against a “securocratic” approach to the student protest movement that has been shutting down campuses in demand of free higher education.
Reuters and African News Agency