Gordhan and Hawks set for face-off
A SHOWDOWN is looming between Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and the Hawks after the minister took a hard line yesterday, saying he would not hand himself over to the unit today.
His stand came as business’s support for him widened.
Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi could not be reached for comment last night.
The Banking Association of South Africa (Basa) backed Gordhan, warning that the latest round of action by the Hawks would undermine the hard work done to prevent a credit rating downgrade and reignite growth in the economy.
Basa chief executive Cas Coovadia said it would threaten investors and reverse the gains made in the last few months to put the economy back on track.
Gordhan’s refusal to hand himself over to the Hawks has put him in direct confrontation with the unit’s head, Lieutenant-General Berning Ntlemeza.
Gordhan has said the Hawks had earlier indicated he was not facing any threat of arrest, but was now going against its word.
He said he had done everything possible to co-operate with the unit and its investigation.
The issue of the rogue unit at the South African Revenue Service has been at the centre of the investigation against Gordhan since his return to the National Treasury in December last year.
It remained unclear whether the Hawks would pounce on the minister and arrest him if he failed to show up at its Pretoria offices today.
Opposition parties have accused President Jacob Zuma of fighting a proxy war with Gordhan for control of the National Treasury.
The president has denied the claim.
Gordhan remained steadfast yesterday that he would not hand himself over.
Coovadia said Basa wanted a stable economy and not the threat of the finance minister’s arrest.
“We should be supporting the minister of finance to address the social and economic issues and challenges impeding the economy in order to facilitate development and stimulate growth, instead of pulling the rug out from under him,” he said.
Coovadia said that flew in the face of Zuma and the government’s commitment to fully back Gordhan.
It also remains unclear whether Gordhan will continue to co-operate with the Hawks, as he has done since early this year.
The first time the Hawks attempted to arrest him was in February, just four days before he tabled his Budget in the National Assembly.
It has been a battle that has been raging over the last few months during his second spell at the National Treasury.
Ntlemeza has denied that there were any plans to arrest Gordhan.