‘Nene must fall on sword or Cyril must act’

Eric Naki

The only option left for Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene is to resign of his own accord as that would help him to return a bit of moral high ground to make President Cyril Ramaphosa’s job easy, a political analyst has said.

Andre Duvenhage said if Ramaphosa is to act against those linked to corruption and state capture, he has to act without fear or favour against anyone, including those of his own.

He said judging by his decision to reappoint Nene to the finance portfolio after he was unceremoniously fired by former president Jacob Zuma, Ramaphosa had full confidence in Nene.

Duvenhage said with all the allegations that surfaced against Nene regarding his meeting with the Gupta brothers and his failure to disclose that timeously and the allegations that his son, Siyabonga, benefited improperly from state funding under his father’s watch, Ramaphosa had no option but to remove Nene or he should voluntarily step down.

“Ramaphosa cannot afford to be inconsistent. If he wants to take on the likes of Ace Magashule and Supra Mahumapelo and others, he needs to be consistent,” Duvenhage said.

“He cannot afford to be seen as being inconsistent and biased, he must act against those he trusts, as well as such as Nene.”

Nene confessed to having met the Guptas at their Saxonwold compound and at the offices of Sahara Computers, one of their firms in Midrand, north of Johannesburg. But he denied to the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture that the Gupta patriarch, Ajay Gupta, tried to induce him or offered him anything.

But on Friday, Nene issued a statement in which he apologised to the nation and pleaded for forgiveness for his visits at Saxonwold between 2010 and 2014 while he was deputy finance minister and later as finance minister but not having disclosed that earlier.

He also denied that Siyabonga benefitted from the Public Investment Corporation funding.

City Press reported yesterday that Nene could resign of his own accord while Duvenhage suggested that a cabinet reshuffle was likely, as Ramaphosa would try to find a way to deal with the crisis.