Johannesburg - With rumours swirling that Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan is set to be replaced in his role by ex Eskom boss Brian Molefe, here's a look at his recent career.
November 2001: Schabir Shaik is arrested on a charge of
possessing classified Cabinet minutes on the arms deal.
August 2003: Schabir Shaik appears in court on corruption
charges that also name Zuma. He is released on bail.
Then National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani
Ngcuka announces that, though there is prima facie evidence against Zuma, he
will not be prosecuted as the case is not winnable.
August 2003: Then Deputy President, Zuma challenges the
Scorpions to charge him over the arms deal.
June 2005: Shaik found guilty on two charges of
corruption and one of fraud. While Deputy President Jacob Zuma was not on
trial, the judge found that Shaik's relationship with him had been
"generally corrupt".
December 2007: Then acting National Prosecutions
Authority chief Mokotedi Mpshe says Zuma will shortly be prosecuted over the
“spy tapes” saga. Two days earlier, Zuma was elected to lead the ANC.
January 2008: The Scorpions are set to be disbanded and
eventually replaced by the Hawks, an elite unit within the Police, instead of
separate to it as the Scorpions were.
May 2009: Zuma is sworn in as President for his first
term.
May 2009: Pravin Gordhan initially appointed as
Minister of Finance.
May 2014: Zuma is sworn in as President for the second
term.
May 2014: Zuma appoints Nhlanhla Nene as Minister of
Finance as Gordhan moves to Cooperative Governance and Traditional
Affairs.
December 2015: Nene is unceremoniously fired and replaced
by unknown David (Des) van Rooyen. The rand tanks, the stock market lost R230
billion in value and the bond market R217 billion.
Read also: Zuma tells Communist Party Gordhan is out
December 2015: Four days after Van Rooyen is appointed, and
under local and international pressure from investors and stakeholders, Zuma
reappoints Gordhan.
May 2016: The Hawks deny it has any plans to arrest Gordhan over
his alleged involvement in the so-called rogue unit at the South African
Revenue Service.
August 2016: Gordhan is asked to appear before
the Hawks to answer questions, and declines to do so, responding instead
through a lawyer’s letter.
August 2016: Zuma says he has no power to stop the Hawks'
investigation involving Gordhan.
October 2016: Gordhan is summonsed to appear in
court by the NPA on charges of fraud over the irregular approval of former SARS
Commissioner Ivan Pillay’s early retirement and extended employment within
SARS, which the NPA says cost SARS R1.14 million.
October 2016: Gordhan to present the
medium-term budget policy statement.
November 2016: Gordhan was set to appear in court,
but charges were dropped at the last minute.
December 2016: Ratings agencies will review SA’s credit
status, but did not downgrade the economy to junk.
January 2017: A fray between the Gupta family and Gordhan
over 72 allegedly suspicious transactions and the Gupta family’s request that
Gordhan intervene over banks closing their accounts gets nasty, with affidavits
flying.
February 22: Gordhan presents his most important budget
ever and continues to clamp down on spending.
Read also: Gupta's affidavit has no merit - Gordhan
March 27: Gordhan and deputy minister Mcebisi Jonas are
recalled from an investor roadshow to the US and UK, sparking fears of a
Cabinet reshuffle. The rand plummets.
March 28: The Gordhan vs Gupta case is heard, and Zuma asks
to be removed as a party to Standard Bank’s case, which was cited as a
respondent in Gordhan’s initial application.
* Source: IOL & Wikipedia