Treasury snubs Zuma trip

FINANCE Minister Pravin Gordhan and his deputy, Mcebisi Jonas, apparently snubbed the Brics summit in India this week, deciding not to accompany President Jacob Zuma to Goa where the meeting was held.

Their absence is seen as a protest by the two against a decision by the National Prosecuting Authority to charge Gordhan with fraud. The NPA’s decision has been widely criticised as being the result of political malice.

Gordhan and Jonas had been expected to take part in meetings with their counterparts in the Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa group of emerging economies.

On Thursday the Presidency said in a statement that Jonas would accompany Zuma to Goa. But the deputy finance minister did not fly out to India, and in a later statement by the Presidency, Jonas’s name was omitted.

Treasury spokeswoman Yolisa Tyantsi said Gordhan did not attend the Brics summit because he was preparing for the mediumterm budget policy statement which he is due to deliver in parliament on October 26.

She said the budget “is a challenging one under very difficult conditions currently in our economy. Thus it has been a priority of the entire budget team, led by the minister, the deputy minister and the director-general to put all energies . . . to deliver a budget that will still give hope under what is otherwise a gloomy situation.”

A senior government official said the Brics snub was linked to an “open revolt” by Gordhan, Jonas and top Treasury officials who seem to be boycotting engagements involving the president.

The Treasury sent a junior director to represent South Africa in the high-level Brics dialogues with ministers of other countries.

The absence of Gordhan and his deputy had other countries asking about South Africa’s commitment to the Brics agenda.