Speculation has been rife that Gordhan may be charged in connection with an alleged rogue spy unit that was set up at the tax collection agency when he headed it up between 1999 and 2009.
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Gordhan, 67, has kept a tight hold over state finances, insisting that the budget deficit be curtailed to stave off a credit-rating downgrade and that Zuma’s ambitions of building new nuclear plants can go ahead only if they are affordable.
In his first public comments on the matter since it surfaced late on Tuesday, Zuma said he had noted the concerns by individuals and various organizations over the investigation.
“Nuclear is also seen as being stalled by National Trreasury and Zuma’s faction wants movement here to hard tendering by year-end, we believe”, Attard Montalto said.
“The negative effect of these matters on our economy, personal pressure on the individuals affected as well as the heads of institutions, however disturbing, can not be cause for the President to intervene unconstitutionally”.
“Gordhan is being a blockage to the efficient running of the ANC’s, and particularly the Zuma faction’s, tenderpreneur and patronage model”, Attard Montalto said.
On Thursday, the presidency defended plans by cabinet to give Zuma supervision over state-owned firms after Gordhan’s allies said this would limit the finance minister’s control.
Thirty witnesses had been lined up to testify against Gordhan and three former officials from the South African Revenue Service (SARS), the paper said.
Business Leadership South Africa said the investigation against Gordhan lacked any credibility.
NKC African Economics analyst Gary van Staden concurred.
Amid questions about possible political motives behind the move, by the Hawks, against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan; both the president and deputy president have expressed their confidence in Gordhan.
Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, Hawks spokesperson, said he was “shocked” over allegations of political bias at the Hawks.
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Professor Raymond Parsons of the North-West University School of Business and Governance said the fallout on the economy could be worse than Nenegate in December 2015, when Zuma removed Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene and replaced him with David van Rooyen, who himself lasted only four days.
