Gordhan keeps easy demeanour
A Budget speech that was watched by all stakeholders
FINANCE Minister Pravin Gordhan yesterday managed to maintain his demeanour, stuck to the prepared text and simply acknowledged loud applauses from across the National Assembly in his much anticipated Budget speech.
Despite facing increased speculation that he would lose his job, Gordhan refused to be drawn into the saga, telling journalists earlier that he served at the pleasure of President Jacob Zuma.
Not even a praise singer, from the public gallery, who first showed up in the House two weeks ago when President Jacob Zuma was replying to the debate on the State of the Nation Address, would distract him.
His praise for his deputy Mcebisi Jonas received the loudest applause from the National Assembly benches.
Gordhan stuck to his script even when EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi interrupted his speech at the end, saying he had nothing to thank Zuma for.
This was a Budget speech that was going to be watched by all stakeholders for all the right and wrong reasons.
Gordhan refused to entertain questions on his probable dismissal from the cabinet, telling journalists in a pre-Budget briefing earlier that it was Zuma’s prerogative to hire and fire ministers.
He had insisted that maintaining strong institutions like the National Treasury and Sars was important.
He said it took years to build institutions, but only a short time to destroy them.
He hoped that would not happen with the Treasury.
He charged that if there was no Treasury, the country would not be able to keep its fiscus in check and if there was no Sars, the country would not be able to collect revenue.
These were strong institutions built on sound democratic principles.
He stuck to his speech that focused on growth projections, more taxes and curtailing spending.
For any outsider, it would have been difficult to pick up this was a man in the middle of massive speculation about his future in the cabinet.
This has in the past been denied by the Presidency.
During this time last year, Gordhan stood in the podium to deliver his Budget when, four days before, the Hawks had demanded answers from him.
The Hawks sent him 27 questions on a rogue unit at Sars.
The battle lasted for 10 months until the NPA dropped the charges at the end of October.
Fast forward to 2017, Gordhan took to the podium facing threats of an axe from the cabinet.
In his own words, he said this was the prerogative of the president.
But this was a Budget that was warmly received by opposition parties despite some concerns in certain areas.
Yesterday, Gordhan lived to fight another day. But his political future remains uncertain with the answer to this million dollar question only to be much clearer in due course.