JOHANNESBURG - ANC treasurer-general was cast into the spotlight on Thursday morning, after a leaked voice recording of him made headlines.
Mashatile said that President Jacob Zuma refused to step down as the president of South Africa during meetings with the ANC top 6.
In the recording he can be heard saying: "On Sunday evening, President Zuma said to us, 'What do you guys mean by transition?’"
"We were saying to President Zuma on Sunday that we don't want two centres of power; we want (deputy) president (Cyril) Ramaphosa to take control not only of the ANC, but the affairs of the state. And we were very clear about it... President Zuma basically said to us: 'I'm not going anywhere, I'm not convinced by you guys so I’m not going to resign.
You can go back and report to your national working committee and the NEC that I said I’m not resigning’,” Mashatile is heard saying in the recording of his interaction with Zuma.
Mashatile finally states in the recording that Zuma will leave office by tonight (Thursday, 8 February). This has not been confirmed by the NEC of the ANC.
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President Jacob Zuma, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, Ministers and Deputy Ministers at the scheduled routine meetings of Cabinet Committees. Picture: Elmond Jiyane/GCIS
In light of this, we take a look at the treasurer-general’s past and his credentials:
- Paul Shipokosa Mashatile was born in Pretoria and attended Alexandra High School. He then earned a Post-Graduate Diploma in Economic Principles at the University of London.
- He is the former Minister of Arts and Culture for South Africa and also held the postion of the Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture.
- He currently holds the title of being the newly-elected African National Congress (ANC) treasurer-general.
- Prior to his election as Treasurer General, Mashatile was serving as the Provincial Chairperson of the ANC in the Gauteng Province.
- In 2014, he was removed from cabinet by President Jacob Zuma. He was part of the losing anti-Zuma faction in the run up to the ANC's bruising Mangaung conference in 2012.
Mashatile is known for his controversy, at this years Raging Bull Summit, Mashatile assured attendees and the media that there will be no land grabs in land expropriation. This was despite the ANC outlining at the 54th National Elective Conference of the ANC that there is land hunger. The ANC announced last month that it would amend the Constitution to expropriate land without paying for it.
"We have to get our economy right, attract investment, create jobs for our people, reduce poverty and inequality”, said Mashatile.
He acknowledged that the government alone cannot achieve this. There has to be partnership between all sectors, private as well as civil society.