Zuma vs Pravin for Parly

President Jacob Zuma will be facing tough questions in Parliament next week over his fight with the Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan and the axing of the latter's predecessor Nhlanhla Nene. File photo: Siyabulela Duda

President Jacob Zuma will be facing tough questions in Parliament next week over his fight with the Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan and the axing of the latter's predecessor Nhlanhla Nene. File photo: Siyabulela Duda

Published Feb 29, 2016

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Parliament - President Jacob Zuma is facing the wrath of MPs in the National Assembly on Tuesday in his fight with Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan over the control of the South African Revenue Service (Sars).

Gordhan has received backing from the ANC and across society over his fight with Zuma and Sars boss Tom Moyane.

Zuma will be in Parliament on Tuesday to face a motion of no confidence in his leadership and management of the economy. The DA brought the motion late last year, but Parliament approved it only last week.

Zuma’s battle with the Treasury boss follows weekend reports that the Hawks were gunning for Gordhan over an allegedly rogue unit at Sars.

Gordhan has stood firm, saying he did nothing wrong. He accused a group of people of trying to destabilise the country and the economy. He said they did not have the interests of the economy at heart.

This was the same message from ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe that those gunning for Gordhan had no interest in the country.

Economist Peter Attard Montalto, of Nomura, warned that the conflict between Zuma and Gordhan could polarise the economy.

“We think the market is significantly underestimating the conflict stirring within the ANC,” he said.

“December saw the balance of forces within the party upset by Nenegate and a shift in favour of the tenderpreneur faction.

“Pravin Gordhan’s (forced) appointment shifted it back into balance, but the tenderpreneur faction has not ‘lost’ and is now fighting back.”

The clash between the two men comes at a critical time, with South Africa facing a possible credit rating downgrade.

Statistics on the economy will be released in the coming days.

The economy has struggled to grow and has shed jobs in the process.

South Africa’s economy has not performed well in the past few years, with the government blaming the global downturn in 2008.

Gordhan told Parliament’s joint standing committee on finance and appropriations after his Budget that the economic outlook remained gloomy. The Treasury revised growth to 0.9 percent in 2016.

Gordhan also confirmed to MPs that he is heading a team that was looking at growing the economy.

“Nobody knows what will be the trigger for growth. As far as this Budget is concerned, it is to stick to fiscal consolidation,” Gordhan said.

Growth was due to a combination of factors, including macro-economic stability, he said. But the battle between him and Zuma will spill over to Parliament on Tuesday, where the debate on the motion of no confidence in Zuma is expected to feature in the stand-off.

Opposition parties are already calling for Zuma’s head, urging ANC MPs to vote with their conscience.

Since he assumed power in 2009, Zuma has faced a number of motions of no confidence in Parliament.

With the ANC’s big majority, he has survived them all.

But the vote has never been against the backdrop of tension within the ANC and a fight to the death with a senior cabinet member.

Political Bureau

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