Minister of Finance Malusi Gigaba has said that it’s “quite concerning” for the South African economy that corruption charges against President Jacob Zuma have been reinstated, saying it “raises the political risks”.
He also said that he is in “full support” of a judicial commission of inquiry into corruption across South Africa.
Gigaba said this during an interview with CNN’s Richard Quest in Washington.
The minister was in Washington as part of a delegation representing South Africa at the 2017 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group.
He told Quest that “from another angle”, the reinstatement of the charges against Zuma “affirms the independence of our courts, the supremacy of the rule of law and the Constitution as the supreme law of the land”.
“It says that South African courts and South African judges are independent enough to take decisions about whomsoever, regardless of their social or political standings.”
Gigaba said the fact that South Africa had an independent judiciary must “raise the confidence of investors”.
Charges reinstated
On Friday, the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal brought by Zuma and the National Prosecuting Authority in relation to the reinstatement of corruption charges against the president.
Zuma was appealing against a 2016 decision by the High Court in Pretoria that found the NPA’s decision to drop the corruption charges against him was irrational.
The charges are related to fraud, racketeering and money laundering. Quest asked Gigaba about mounting evidence of corruption around the Gupta family, as well as the latest revelations from KPMG, and disgraced former UK public relations firm Bell Pottinger.
“It is a good thing,” said Gigaba, adding that “it would be bad if it were swept under the carpet”.
Gigaba said now that it was becoming clear what wrong had happened, the country could “start to take action against it”.
“We are expecting that a judicial commission will be established, that will deal with all the corruption allegations from whichever angle it emanates,” said Gigaba.
“The ANC, as the ruling party, has said it wants such a commission, and we are looking forward to its announcement and the terms of reference,” said the finance minister.
ANC to decide on Zuma
“The fate of the president can and must be decided by the ruling party which he serves,” said Gigaba, adding that, “the ANC is well-capable of taking that decision.”
Asked whether Zuma must go now, Gigaba said that the upcoming ANC national conference was the place where such matters would be discussed.
The ANC will hold its 54th national conference from December 16 to 20 in Gauteng, where new leadership will be elected.
“I don’t think there is any urgency for us to pre-empt what is going to happen in December. He is going to step down anyway as leader of the ANC, and that process must be allowed to run its course.”
Gigaba said the president was not the only factor impacting on business confidence in South Africa.
The minister also said he was “focusing on the task at hand” of growing the economy, and was not worried about the manner in which he was appointed finance minister. “That’s what I have been doing for the last six months.
That is what I am going to continue doing for as long as I occupy the position,” he said.
[Source: News24]
