Pretoria – President Jacob Zuma has five working days to disclose his reasons for axing former finance minister Pravin Gordhan and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas.
This includes the record of the proceedings leading to his decision as well as any other documents, correspondence, memoranda,or advice he had received and which caused him to reshuffle his cabinet and fire Gordhan and Jonas.
These documents will have to contain the so-called intelligence report, if it existed and if Zuma used it in coming to his decision.
This order was made on Thursday afternoon by the high court in Pretoria. Judge Bashier Valley said he will on Tuesday deliver the reasons for his order.
Former finance minister Pravin Gordhan, left, with his former deputy, Mcebisi Jonas. Picture: Reuters
The DA launched this urgent interlocutory application as it said it needed these documents for its main application, which is due to be heard before June this year. It is asking the court in that application to overturn Zuma’s decision to axe Gordhan and Jonas. It was for this reason that it urgently needed the documents on which Zuma’s decision was based on.