Molefe at Parliament – Is Gordhan on way out?
THE NOMINATION of former Eskom chief executive Brian Molefe as an MP could be an indication that President Jacob Zuma will appoint him to his cabinet to succeed Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.
In a surprise move yesterday, Parliament confirmed Molefe would soon be sworn in as an ANC MP. “Parliament wishes to acknowledge the nomination of Molefe to fill a vacancy on the North West list of ANC MPs, which is depleted,” the institution said.
It was not immediately clear last night when Molefe would be sworn in, but Parliament said its presiding officers would determine the date.
Zuma was expected to reshuffle his cabinet any time, and it was reported earlier he was going to do it after the State of the Nation Address (Sona). Parliament concluded the debate on the Sona this week. Zuma’s spokesperson Bongani Ngqulunga could not be reached for comment.
Last month, ANC secre- tary-general Gwede Mantashe denied Molefe was earmarked for a post as an MP following a report by the Sunday Times. It was reported the ANC in the North West wanted to put Molefe on its parliamentary list so he could ultimately take over from Gordhan when Zuma reshuffled his cabinet.
“We don’t wake up one day, put Brian Molefe on the list to Parliament and he goes to Parliament. It doesn’t happen that way,” Mantashe said at the time.
ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa referred questions to the party’s parliamentary spokesperson.
ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu refused to comment, saying cabinet appointments remained the prerogative of the president.
“I can’t respond on behalf of the president – that is an unfair question for the chief whip,” he said.
In November, former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s “State of Capture” report placed Molefe in the vicinity of the Guptas’ Saxonwold house 19 times between August 5 and November 15, 2015. Molefe was said to have held meetings with Ajay Gupta, the eldest of the three Gupta brothers. According to the report, there were 58 telephone calls between Molefe and Ajay between August 2015 and March last year.
Molefe caused a stir when, during a media briefing, he broke down in tears while denying the details of Madonsela’s report. He became the subject of public scorn when he claimed he had been Saxonwold at a shebeen “two streets away from the Guptas”.
The nomination of Molefe as an MP could intensify speculation that he would become Gordhan’s successor. Gordhan is expected to table his Budget on Wednesday.
Since his appointment in December 2015, following the dramatic sacking of Nhlanhla Nene and short-lived appointment of Des van Rooyen, Gordhan has been at odds with some of the state-owned entities, including Eskom and the SA Airways, in what has been seen as proxy war between Zuma and the Treasury. Late last year, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) charged him for approving the pension of former SA Revenue Service senior official Ivan Pillay, sparking a groundswell of protest from civil society bodies and some senior ANC members. The NPA later backtracked and dropped the charges.
In a pre-Sona luncheon with the captains of industry in Cape Town last Thursday, Zuma denied he’d be making changes to the cabinet. He jokingly said if he did he would contact the journalists or put it on Twitter.