But counter-intutively, Jonas’ statement has already created some positive sentiment.
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“You and your family are getting richer while South Africans are getting poorer”, he told Mr Zuma.
“As [the revelations] are coming out more and more into the open, there’s a much better chance that the law will take its course and that the economy might start heading in the right direction”, Michele Santangelo, money manager at Vunani Private Clients, said by phone. The rand was 1.2 percent weaker at 15.3536 per dollar by 11:36 a.m.in Johannesburg, bringing its slump in the past 12 months to 27 percent.
Mentor’s name began circulating across all social media platforms two days ago after she claimed the Gupta family had offered her a job as public enterprises minister. “This can not be swept under the carpet”.
The governing African National Congress (ANC) concurred with the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) that this was a blatant abuse of power by a family that enjoys a close relationship with South Africa’s first family.
“I am in charge of the government, I appoint in terms of the Constitution”, President Jacob Zuma responded, to cheers from ruling party parliamentarians.
The debacles have made it almost impossible for current Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan, to implement austerity measures that he announced a February budget reading.
A series of scandals have shadowed Zuma’s political career.
In 2013, there was an outcry after a private jet carrying guests to the wedding of a Gupta family member was allowed to land at a South African military air force base in Pretoria. He denies any wrongdoing.
Before being ordered out, Mr Maimane had asked the president whether he had consulted anyone before the December 9 appointment of Desmond van Rooyen as finance minister and his subsequent removal three days later.
Howa said the Oakbay delegation at the meeting with the ANC top six also dealt with the claim that the Guptas “appointed” Cabinet members.
While companies controlled by the family have invested more than 10 billion rand ($650 million) in South Africa, the Guptas hadn’t secured any of the more than 100 mining licenses they had applied for, and their attempts to buy companies including lender Nedbank Ltd. and steelmaker ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd. had been rebuffed, according to the advertisement.
But in a rebuttal on Thursday, Zuma told parliament that none of his ministers “was ever appointed by the Guptas”.
Former senior ANC MP Vytjie Mentor’s Facebook page was temporarily shut down allegedly by people who did not want to hear the truth, she said on Twitter on Thursday.
In a separate development, Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula refused to answer questions about whether the Guptas had been involved in his appointment to the Cabinet, saying those making these allegations should prove it.
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She said the family wanted her to drop the South African Airways flight route to India and give it to them, but claimed she declined the offer.
