#NhlanhlaNene's resignation 'a blow to Parliament’

Former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene was fired in December 2015. File picture: Bongani Shilubane/Independent Media

Former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene was fired in December 2015. File picture: Bongani Shilubane/Independent Media

Published Feb 6, 2016

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Cape Town - Former Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene's resignation as an MP is a “blow to Parliament”, the Democratic Alliance said on Saturday.

“The resignation of former minister of finance Nhlanhla Nene after a long and distinguished career in the finance family is a blow to Parliament,” DA spokesman David Maynier said.

“The former minister paid a high price for doing the right thing and speaking truth to power, and in the end sacrificed his seat because he was not prepared to sacrifice his integrity,” he said.

Read: Nene’s quiet exit from Parliament

“We do not know why the former minister resigned but the suggestion that he would be appointed to the new [Brics] Development Bank is increasingly looking like a blatant lie manufactured to explain away the catastrophic decision to fire him in 2015.”

Whatever the case, President Jacob Zuma would be under massive pressure during the State Of The Nation debate in Parliament on February 11, to explain why he fired Nene, Maynier said.

It emerged on Friday night that Nene resigned as an MP in December and his resignation was processed in January.

This was confirmed by National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete's office.

Zuma suddenly removed Nene as finance minister in December, and replaced him with the unknown David van Rooyen, triggering a dramatic slump in the value of the rand and stocks. Nene's removal was ostensibly because his name had been put forward for a top job in the new Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (Brics) bank.

The fallout prompted Zuma to remove Van Rooyen within days of his appointment, and re-appoint former finance minister Pravin Gordhan to the position.

African News Agency

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