Gordhan to focus on budget amid upset

FINANCE Minister Pravin Gordhan is expected to walk a tightrope in his medium term budget policy statement (MTBPS) on Wednesday despite being mired in sideshows, including tension in the ANC.

Parties and the country expect Gordhan to maintain fiscal discipline in the budget.

The Helen Suzman Foundation and Freedom Under Law have challenged the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) fraud charges against him.

The two organisations said yesterday they had lodged an urgent application in the high court in Pretoria for the scrapping of the fraud charges, which they labelled baseless.

The urgent application followed their attempts to get NPA head Shaun Abrahams to provide more information on the charges or drop them.

They had given him until last Friday to respond.

When Abrahams failed to reply, the organisations said they would approach the court to force him to scrap all the charges.

They said they were not protecting any individual but rather didn’t want state institutions to be used for nefarious purposes.

The Hawks and NPA have been accused by some ANC leaders of being used to pursue Gordhan at all costs.

This has been denied by the two agencies.

Abrahams has been under pressure in recent weeks since he charged Gordhan for fraud after the latter approved the early retirement of former SA Revenue Service deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay.

The cabinet has backed Gordhan, despite some ANC ministers openly challenging him and demanding that he account to the prosecuting authorities and the courts.

The ANC Youth League and the Women’s League, who are allies of President Jacob Zuma, have said Gordhan wasn’t above the law.

In his MTBPS, Gordhan is expected to give a broad fiscal framework for next year. He is expected to outline whether there will be additional funds for higher education, amid ongoing protests by students for free education.

Gordhan is also expected to announce if there will be further cuts in his Budget in February.