Union hails Zuma ruling

THE Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) has welcomed the North Gauteng High Court ruling ordering President Jacob Zuma to explain his reasons for the cabinet reshuffle in which he fired finance minister Pravin Gordhan and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas.

The ruling on Thursday by Judge Bashier Vally followed an application by the DA, which asked the court to force Zuma to disclose his reasons for the cabinet reshuffle.

Fedusa general secretary Dennis George said the firing of Gordhan and Jonas, both vocal critics of the politically-linked Gupta family, had intensified the notion that “the process of total capture of South Africa has now been set firmly in motion”.

“The timing of the announcement of the reshuffle, in the middle of the night, also serves to highlight the real motives and intent by President Zuma, as happened in December 2015 when President Zuma abruptly fired the highly respected finance minister Nhlanhla Nene, replacing him with Des van Rooyen,” George said.

In answering affidavits, Zuma defended his action, saying the DA’s application was an abuse of court processes, which was also misconceived and without any merit whatsoever. – ANA