Zuma stated Treasury must fall – testimony

Being finance minister during the Jacob Zuma presidency meant toeing the official line or facing the axe, the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture heard yesterday.

Painting a picture of the environment in which former finance ministers Pravin Gordhan and Nhlanhla Nene worked under Zuma’s leadership, former treasury director-general Lungisa Fuzile said Zuma had told him that in other countries, finance ministers “did not tell presidents there was no money, they found the money”.

Fuzile said Zuma had a problem with the budgeting process, which involved treasury scrutinising the nuclear build programme, PetroSA-Engen deal, funding matters relating to the South African Airways, and the social security grant.

This gave rise to Zuma and other government departments expressing dissatisfaction with Treasury.

Treasury, said Fuzile, required a review of the impact of all projects and their impact on the fiscus. So angered was Zuma with Treasury policies and processes that he likened the department to a tree that had to be “shaken to fall”.