I am not for sale, Gordhan tells Zondo inquiry

He could walk out of the cabinet anytime and look for a job elsewhere as politics is a calling, not a career for him, public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan says.

“I’m not a commodity for sale, and I think the Guptas learnt that too,” Gordhan told the Zondo commission.

Gordhan used his second day of testimony to hit back against a heightened attack on him from the EFF, challenging its leaders to make their allegations under oath to the commission where they could be cross-examined.

“I don’t make deals for jobs. I don’t make deals with smugglers or taxpayers or submit to intimidation or bullying.

“I’m not accountable to bullies,” Gordhan said.

He also responded to criticism that he should resign because he had not previously declared his interactions with members of the Gupta family.

“There was no meeting with the Guptas. I am quite emphatic that I am not for sale.”

He said his former adviser, now National Treasury director-general Dondo Mogojane, had reminded him that Ajay Gupta was present at a meeting he had with Indian businessman Anil Ambani in 2010.

Gordhan said he would write to the speaker of parliament to point this out as he had previously responded to a parliamentary question from the DA saying he had not had any meetings with the Guptas.

“I would not lie to parliament. If I wanted to lie, Mr Chair, I could have left this meeting out [of his testimony] and you wouldn’t have been any wiser,” Gordhan said.

He confirmed being introduced to one of the Gupta brothers by former president Jacob Zuma at the presidential residence, Mahlamba Ndlopfu, and seeing members of the family at a cricket match, as well as at The New Age (the paper then owned by the Guptas) business breakfasts he was required to attend.

“I refused to schedule a meeting with the Gupta family, whether at their residence or anywhere else,” Gordhan said.

He said the fact that he declined their requests for meetings, refused to attend their Sun City wedding, cancelled a post-budget business briefing hosted by The New Age and rebuffed attempts to get him to intervene to reopen their bank accounts indicated his attitude towards the family.

Gordhan also told justice Raymond Zondo he had been repeatedly harassed, including through orchestrated social media and fake news campaigns, to force him to resign while he was finance minister.

He said he believed former Hawks head Berning Ntlemeza was central to state capture and the unit was abused for political objectives through malicious law enforcement.

Addressing supporters outside the commission venue, EFF leader Julius Malema said it would campaign for Gordhan’s removal because he was in control of all SOEs and “hates Africans”.

He also warned the fight against Gordhan and the ANC could get “dirty”. –