Zuma goes on the defensive as Hawks probe finance minister
President says he has no power to stop Hawks’ probe into Gordhan, former Sars officials
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma went on the defensive yesterday as the Hawks’ pursuit of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and other former Sars officials threatened to blow up in his face. Echoing the flurry of press statements from the presidency in the days after the firing of Nhlanhla Nene last year, Zuma issued statements saying he had no power to halt investigations – while expressing full confidence in Gordhan – and that the presidential committee on state-owned enterprises announced on Monday was the product of recommendations from a review of parastatals adopted by the cabinet.
This came after Gordhan fought back against the Hawks’ use of a purported investigation into Sars to instruct him to report to its offices by announcing on live television he would not, because the charges levelled against him had no basis in law.
Gordhan significantly raised the stakes in the stand-off on Wednesday night by effectively challenging the Hawks to come and get him if they dared, while public sentiment overwhelmingly swung behind him and the Sars officials.
After an open letter to Zuma from Business Leadership SA on Wednesday, which begged him to call off the Hawks for the sake of the economy, George Bizos, Judge Johan Kriegler and the Helen Suzman Foundation came out in support of former Sars deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay and former group executive for strategy and risk Pete Richer, agreeing with Gordhan that the charges were baseless.
The Helen Suzman and Freedom Under Law said in a statement: “Not only are the charges baseless, but the manner in which they have been pursued is clearly calculated to besmirch the names of the individuals and has predictably already seriously impaired our national economy.”
Zuma came under further attack at the funeral of former sports minister and ANC stalwart Makhenkesi Stofile, attended by Gordhan and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas, where Sipho Pityana said if he had been present he would have called on the president to resign.
As evidence mounted that the Sars saga was turning into a public relations disaster for him, Zuma insisted he had no power to stop the investigation.
He expressed his “full support and confidence” in Gordhan and pointed out he had not been found guilty of any wrongdoing.
The presidency said. “The negative effect of these matters on our economy, personal pressure on the individuals affected, as well as the heads of institutions, however disturbing, cannot be cause for the president to intervene unconstitutionally.”
Speculation linking the investigations to government and state-owned institutions were “equally unhelpful and they are also false and misleading”.
However, Zuma’s denial, although strictly correct in law, was received with scepticism as critics pointed out that Transport Minister Dipuo Peters had just called a halt to an investigation into corruption at Prasa, while Parliament’s portfolio committee on communications had chosen not to investigate the crisis at the SABC.
This was followed by another statement saying there was “nothing sinister or new” about the setting up of a presidential SOE committee, as it emanated from the presidential review committee on state-owned enterprises Zuma appointed in 2010 to investigate models for the reform of parastatals.
The presidency pointed out that the committee had recommended the establishment of a state-owned entities (SOE) council of ministers to oversee the reform.
The presidency said Zuma had appointed Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to chair an inter-ministerial committee, the job of which was to oversee implementation of the review committee’s recommendations.
It was this committee that had recommended the setting up of the presidential SOE committee – which was accepted by the cabinet at its lekgotla at the weekend.