Johannesburg - Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan remained tight-lipped on Sunday about reports that the Hawks will not go after him.
His spokeswoman Phumza Macanda could not be reached for comment after the Hawks backed off following months of pursuing charges against the minister.
The Sunday Independent reported that Hawks head Lieutenant-General Berning Ntlemeza wrote to Gordhan’s lawyers last week to say the minister would not be arrested.
This followed an intense week in which Gordhan said he was distressed by the reports that the unit would lock him up.
He called on South Africans to protect the National Treasury.
Business has come forward to back Gordhan. It said it was worried that the minister would be arrested after working so hard to get the country back on its feet. It warned that state institutions must not be used, but should remain independent and impartial.
Gordhan has been working with about 90 chief executives of top companies in a bid to boost growth.
Business said a lot of work had gone into preventing a credit downgrade.
President Jacob Zuma set up the initiative to get business to invest in the economy and boost growth.
The group met Zuma two weeks go in Pretoria to report back on the progress made.
“We must now all put the national interest at the top of our agenda,” the business leaders said. “In this regard we are doing all in our power to protect South Africa’s investment-grade credit rating.
“We are singularly focused on this objective and call on all South Africans to support this goal and ensure that their actions support it.”
Rating agencies Fitch and Standard & Poor’s were in the country last week, when the war of attrition between Gordhan and the Hawks was at its peak.
Economists warned that the fight and threats of arrest would scare off investors and paint a bad picture about South Africa to rating agencies.
In Parliament last week, Gordhan called on South Africans to stand together to stave off a credit rating downgrade. He said the economy needed the support of all players.
The economy was in the doldrums, with low growth projected this year.
THE STAR