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Tag: Pravin Gordhan

  • Zuma urges ANC to punish lawmakers who voted against him

    Zuma urges ANC to punish lawmakers who voted against him

    President Jacob Zuma of South Africa has urged the African National Congress (ANC) to identify and punish party members who voted against him in a no-confidence motion in parliament on Aug. 8.

    Some 30 ANC lawmakers supported the opposition motion in a secret ballot, not enough for it to pass but the defection exposed rifts within the ANC that could weaken Zuma’s ability to influence the choice of next party leader at elections in December.

    Addressing an ANC meeting, Zuma called the defectors “people who have double hearts, one for the ANC and one for other parties,” and said they “must be taken to the (ANC) disciplinary committee,” South African media reported.

    “What our enemies (opposition members of parliament) were doing was to say: ‘How can we destroy the ANC and weaken it, so that we can take control of the country?’ … We should never do it again,” Zuma was quoted as saying.

    It was unclear how the party would be able to determine who had voted against Zuma or what action could be taken against them.

    The president said he would discuss the issue of dissenters at a meeting of the ANC on Monday.

    ANC communications officials were unavailable to comment.

    Critics say Zuma’s priority is to ensure he retains sufficient control over the party to ensure that his chosen candidate succeeds him as leader so he can avoid scrutiny over corruption allegations that have dogged his eight years in power.

    Zuma has denied wrongdoing.

    The opposition sought to oust Zuma after he removed finance minister Pravin Gordhan in March, a move that hit the financial markets and prompted two credit ratings agencies to downgrade South Africa’s debt rating to junk status.

    Following the failure of the no-confidence motion, the main opposition Democratic Alliance party said it would bring a motion to dissolve parliament and call a general election.

    The ANC, which has a strong majority in the assembly, dismissed the DA’s call as “dreams and hallucinations”.

  • South African parliament begins debate in Zuma no-confidence motion

    South African parliament begins debate in Zuma no-confidence motion

    The leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance urged South African lawmakers to oust President Jacob Zuma at the start of a parliamentary debate on a motion of no-confidence in the scandal-plagued leader on Tuesday.

    Zuma, who has held power since 2009, would have to relinquish office if he loses the vote expected once the debate ends.

    “I plead with you let us put the people of South Africa first and vote to remove Jacob Zuma today,” Mmusi Maimane said.

    Speaking on behalf of the ruling African National Congress party, deputy chief whip Doris Dlakude said the motion against Zuma amounted to a “power grab” by the opposition.

    “The ANC rejects this motion with the contempt it deserves,” she said.

    NAN reports that protesters blocked roads with burning tyres and rocks in a show of opposition to President Zuma hours before the South African parliament was due to vote on a no-confidence motion which could force him to step down.

    Newspaper headlines reflected the high stakes at play “JZ’s moment of truth” read The Star, while The Sowetan declared: “High Noon for Zuma”.

    Zuma, who has held power since 2009, has struggled to fend off opposition accusations of corruption and mismanaging the economy.

    If parliament votes in favor of the no-confidence motion, he and his entire cabinet would have to step down.

    The parliamentary speaker on Monday had ruled that the vote would be a secret ballot a decision the opposition hopes will embolden members of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to vote against Zuma.

    It was unclear, however, which way the vote would go.

    The ANC has 249 seats in the 400-seat parliament and the opposition controls 151 seats, so it would take 50 ANC lawmakers backing the opposition to vote Zuma and his cabinet out.

    Markets had welcomed Speaker Baleka Mbete’s decision, with the rand, bonds and banking shares surging after Mbete’s announcement, buoyed by the prospect of Zuma’s removal. On Tuesday, the rand traded flat as markets waited anxiously.

    In the past year, Zuma has upset investors, in particular by removing finance minister Pravin Gordhan in March.

    The country’s credit rating has been downgraded to junk by two of the top three credit rating agencies, unemployment is at a 14-year high of 27.7 per cent and the economy is back in recession.

    Zuma has also faced a welter of corruption accusations, which he denies, and the ANC, which has governed since the end of apartheid in 1994, is deeply divided.

    “Jacob Zuma has brought our nation to its knees,” the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party, which brought the motion to parliament, said in a statement urging lawmakers to vote the president out.

    Across Gauteng province, where the commercial hub Johannesburg and capital Pretoria are located, protesters blocked major roads with burning tyres and rocks.

  • S. Africa’s Malema says no fewer than 60 ANC MPs will turn on Zuma

    S. Africa’s Malema says no fewer than 60 ANC MPs will turn on Zuma

    Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters party (EFF) said 60 African National Congress (ANC) members in South Africa’s parliament will back a no-confidence vote against President Jacob Zuma if the ballot is secret.

    Toppling Zuma requires 50 of the 249 ANC Members of Parliament (MPs) to support the no-confidence motion and some have said publicly they want him removed, including former finance minister Pravin Gordhan, whose sacking in March triggered damaging debt ratings downgrades.

    South Africa’s national assembly has 400 members.

    Malema, a firebrand politician known for his colorful language, said in an interview, he had received personal commitments that ANC MPs would dump Zuma.

    Malema, a former head of the ANC’s Youth League before his expulsion from the party, could plausibly still have plenty of contacts in the organization.

    “I personally spoke to more than 60 MPs of the ANC who have committed that if we give them a secret ballot they will deliver,” Malema told Reuters in his office.

    “They’ve asked that this thing must be secret. They are not happy themselves,” said Malema, seated in front of an EFF sign featuring a clenched black fist holding a spear, super-imposed over an African map.

    Zuma faces the no-confidence motion on Aug. 8, the ninth time the opposition will have tried to unseat him by peeling off dissidents from the ruling party, whose majority has so far protected him.

    Unlike previous attempts, this time the vote may not be open.

    The Constitutional Court has cleared the way for the Speaker to allow a secret ballot, though it remains unclear she will.

    The ANC’s official line is that the party will close ranks and back Zuma.

    Party officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Malema’s remarks.

    ANC MP Makhosi Khoza chose Nelson Mandela’s birthday on Tuesday to denounce Zuma, making clear she would break party ranks.

    “If you see one person doing that under such a hostile environment you must know that she must have powerful backing.

    “She has a lot of backing,” Malema said.

    One ANC MP has told Reuters they would vote for Zuma’s removal and the South African Communist Party, whose 17 MPs back the ANC in parliament, said in April Zuma should resign.

    Tens of thousands of people took part in marches in April calling for Zuma, 75, to step down over a string of graft scandals and missteps as the economy is in recession and unemployment rising.

  • Zuma says ‘not worried’ about protests, calls to step down

    Zuma says ‘not worried’ about protests, calls to step down

    Embattled President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday said he had no idea why hundreds of thousands of South Africans had been calling for his resignation in recent weeks.

    “I am not worried about the political situation in South Africa. I haven’t heard that people are unhappy,” Zuma said in Durban.

    Zuma made the comments shortly before the opening of the World Economic Forum on Africa, which is taking place in the coastal city from May 3-5.

    South Africans have been demonstrating against Zuma in cities across the country since late March, calling on him to resign over corruption scandals and his decision to sack finance minister Pravin Gordhan.

    The dismissal of Gordhan caused the rand to plunge and prompted two ratings agencies to downgrade South Africa.

    Zuma said he didn’t know why people were protesting. “I don’t know what makes people so excited,” the president said.

    “Demonstrations are always there,” Zuma said, adding that he regarded the protests as a sign of democracy “maturing” in South Africa.

    On Monday, Zuma had to leave a May Day rally after he was booed off the stage by members of the country’s main trade union confederation in the central city of Bloemfontein.

    His speech had to be cancelled.

  • South African court declares nuclear deal with Russia illegal

    South Africa’s plan to expand its nuclear programme in cooperation with Russia suffered a setback on Wednesday when a court ruled that it was illegal.

    The Western Cape High Court in a ruling held that the government’s way of handling the preliminary agreement was “unconstitutional and unlawful and it is reviewed and set aside,”

    The court also set aside cooperation agreements in the field of nuclear energy concluded with South Korea and the United States.

    Two environmental organizations launched the case in October 2015, arguing that the agreements had not been debated by parliament.

    The court said the necessary procurement processes and procedures were not completely followed.

    The deal foresaw a strategic partnership with Russian state nuclear company Rosatom, through which Russia would help construct a nuclear power plant and a research reactor, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

    Calls to Rosatom’s press service in Moscow went unanswered on Wednesday.

    The deal would have allowed South Africa to acquire 9.6 gigawatts of additional nuclear power by 2030 in an attempt to diversify its energy sources from ageing coal-fired plants.

    The regional superpower currently has the continent’s only nuclear power plant, but it gets more than 90 per cent of its energy from coal.

    The nuclear expansion is opposed by groups advocating renewable energies, while others say South Africa cannot afford its cost, estimated at 1 trillion rand (76 billion dollars).

    President Jacob Zuma recently fired finance minister Pravin Gordhan, who had warned about the cost of new nuclear plants.

    The sacking of the respected minister, which prompted two ratings agencies to downgrade South Africa, fueled concern over possible corruption in the Russian deal

  • Zuma survives resignation call

    South Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma, has been backed by a major decision-making body within the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

    It was looking at a complaint by some of the ANC top executives that Mr. Zuma had failed to consult them over reshuffling his cabinet.

    After considering the complaint, the ANC has decided not to press for the President to resign, a party official said.

    Mr. Zuma has been under growing pressure since sacking respected Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan, the BBC reports.

    That led to South Africa’s credit rating being cut to junk status putting more pressure on a troubled economy.

    Mr. Gordhan was dropped as part of a major cabinet reshuffle which left some in the ANC leadership questioning whether Mr. Zuma should remain as President.

    Key ANC allies, the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the main trades union federation COSATU, joined in the calls for him to go.

    But the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), discussing the cabinet reshuffle, has given the President its backing.

    President Jacob Zuma must be breathing a sigh of relief today following the acceptance of his explanation for his controversial sacking of the finance minister.

    He certainly has crossed the first hurdle in his mission to stay in the job.

    Newspaper headlines are describing him as the Teflon Don because of his survival skills. But this does not mean that he is completely off the hook.

     

  • S/Africa opposition asks court to cancel removal of finance minister

    S/Africa opposition asks court to cancel removal of finance minister

    South Africa’s largest opposition party has filed a court application against President Jacob Zuma’s decision to fire finance minister Pravin Gordhan.

    The Democratic Alliance (DA) described the sacking of Gordhan as a big blow to the economy.

    DA asked the North Gauteng High Court to cancel the decision “on the grounds that it was irrational, and therefore unconstitutional, unlawful and invalid,” the party said in a statement.

    The DA is also seeking an emergency session of parliament to handle a no-confidence motion against Zuma and has called for nationwide protests against the president on Friday.

    It said members of Zuma’s African National Congress (ANC) had threatened it with violence and that it would file criminal charges against them while going ahead with the peaceful protests.

    Gordhan had enjoyed the confidence of investors, and Zuma replaced him with the inexperienced Malusi Gigaba just as the country’s economic growth slowed to 0.3 per cent last year. More than a quarter of the workforce is unemployed.

    The sacking of Gordhan prompted the rating agency Standard and Poor’s to downgrade South Africa’s sovereign credit rating to junk status on Monday, sending the rand into free fall. Other rating agencies were expected to follow suit.

    “Zuma’s decision is likely to cost yet more jobs and will have a lasting and calamitous impact on ordinary South Africans,” the DA said.

    The Gordhan affair has threatened to split the ANC, some of whose senior officials reportedly back calls for Zuma to resign.

    But on Wednesday, ANC Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe said the party still stood behind the president.

     

  • Sacked S. Africa’s finance minister says intelligence report used to fire him “nonsense”

    South Africa’s outgoing Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Friday an intelligence report President Jacob Zuma used as justification to fire him was “absolute nonsense”.

    Gordhan also said during a televised press conference in Pretoria that he had been “sickened” by allegations that he had secret meetings to undermine the government during an investor roadshow abroad.

    In a similar vein, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday he told Zuma that he disagreed with his decision to sack Gordhan.

    “I told the President so, that I would not agree with him on his reasoning to remove the minister of finance,” Ramaphosa told reporters.

    However, Ramaphosa also told public broadcaster SABC TV that the government would remain stable after the sacking of Gordhan and would tell ratings agencies that its institutions were strong.

    Zuma’s midnight sacking of his finance minister shook South African financial markets and increased the chances of costly downgrades to its investment grade sovereign ratings.

    NAN reports that Appointed in 2015 after a predecessor’s sudden sacking, Gordhan was in London for the first leg of a week-long non-deal investor roadshow in Britain and the U.S.

    Weak economic growth and tensions within the ruling party African National Congress (ANC) have put South Africa’s investment grade credit rating at risk.

    The rand fell as much as 1.7 per cent following the report, while bonds weakened sharply.

    Banking shares on the Johannesburg bourse fell more than two per cent.

    A government source said: “they were told last night or this morning to come back… the presidency did not give permission for the trip.”

    The president’s office could not be reached for comment.

    Africa’s most industrialised economy escaped being downgraded to junk status last year.

    S and P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings both rank the sovereign one level above junk, while Moody’s puts it two notches higher.

    Moody’s, which put South Africa on negative watch in its latest review, is due to revisit that on April 7, followed by S and P at the beginning of June.

    Gordhan’s team on the trip to London, Boston and New York included deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas and Treasury director general Lungisa Fuzile, as well as business executives and union leaders.

     

  • Zuma appoints third finance minister in a week

    Zuma appoints third finance minister in a week

    South African President, Jacob Zuma, has replaced newly appointed Finance Minister David van Rooyen with the more experienced Pravin Gordhan in a surprise Sunday night announcement.

    On Wednesday, the president sacked Nhlanhla Nene in a move that sent the rand to record lows and sparked a sell-off in bank shares, the BBC reports.

    His replacement for less than a week, Mr. van Rooyen, is a little-known member of parliament.

    The latest move sent the rand up almost five per cent on Sunday night.

    Mr. Gordhan was widely respected when he served as South Africa’s finance minister from 2009 until 2014.

    However, Mohammed Nalla, head of research at Nedbank Capital, said having a finance minister serve just two days did not bode well for South Africa’s reputation.

    He said, “International investors are probably thinking: why didn’t the president make a much more considered decision in the first place?”

    The leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance party, Mmusi Maimane, said: “This is reckless by President Zuma – he is playing Russian roulette with the South African economy.”

    A statement from Mr. Zuma’s office said he had “received many representations” to reconsider his decision to appoint Mr. van Rooyen.

    “As a democratic government, we emphasise the importance of listening to the people and to respond to their views,” it added.