Zuma stands firm on state capture report, Gordhan

President Jacob Zuma. Photo: ANA

President Jacob Zuma. Photo: ANA

Published Oct 25, 2016

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Cape Town - President Jacob Zuma stuck to his guns in the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday and defended his decisions on state capture, the economy and charges against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Zuma has been accused by opposition parties of stalling the release of the report on state capture and holding a meeting with National Prosecuting Authority head Shaun Abrahams a day before Gordhan was charged.

The finance minister will appear in court next Wednesday after the NPA charged him with fraud.

Justice Minister Michael Masutha on Monday denied that the meeting at Luthuli House with Abrahams was to discuss charges against Gordhan.

This was reiterated by Zuma on Tuesday who said the meeting at Luthuli House discussed other matters.

He said at no point did he discuss charges against Gordhan with Abrahams at the ANC’s Headquarters in Joburg CBD.

“The meeting the member is referring to is a meeting between the President and the security cluster on a totally different matter,” he said.

Both Abrahams and Masutha confirmed the meeting at Luthuli House took place, but said they discussed the violent protests at universities.

Zuma said he would not be able to interfere in the matter of Gordhan with the NPA.

However, Zuma’s appearance in the NCOP got off to a rocky start as EFF MPs refused to listen to him.

As in the past, in the National Assembly, the EFF members hurled insults at Zuma saying he was not honourable to address the House.

Zuma also defended the decision to put State-Owned Entities under a new structure led by him, the Presidential SOE Coordinating Council.

On the economy Zuma said South Africa has done well compared to other countries as it emerged from the global crisis of 2008.

He said some countries in the developed world were still trapped in the crisis, and have not yet fully recovered.

But the government’s economic policies have been able to cushion the country out of the crisis.

The appearance of Zuma in the NCOP came at a time of heightened tensions in the ANC.

At the weekend ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu called on the National Executive Committee to resign for lurching from crisis to crisis.

He said the ANC had performed poorly in the local government polls in August yet no action was taken.

But Mthembu has been slammed by the ANC Youth League and uMkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Associations for reckless comments.

They called on him to stop lobbying other NEC to resign, and that he must be the one resigning if he wanted to.

Political Bureau

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