President Cyril Ramaphosa has accepted Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene‘s resignation and appointed Former Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni as the new Finance minister.
On Friday Nhlanhla Nene apologised to South Africans for meeting the notorious Gupta family between 2009 and 2014. He released a statement saying: “I was wrong in meeting the Guptas at their residence and not in my office or at least a public place.
I say this being mindful of the fact that it is quite common practice, not only in South Africa but globally, for public office bearers to attend gatherings, including dinners, at residences of business people, fellow politicians, and other stakeholders.
But context matters. As soon as I became aware of the controversy swirling around the family’s business dealings, I should, subject to there being a legitimate reason for doing so, have met Guptas, at my office accompanied, as is customary, by a Ministry of Finance or National Treasury official.”
At the State Capture Commission of Inquiry, Nene said he believes he was removed from office because he refused to approve certain projects.
“It seems that those projects may have benefited the Gupta family and other close associates of the then-president,” Nene said.
He said the finance minister needed the full support of the president, adding that the minister is the last wall of defence against any corrupt practices.
Nene said documents appeared in 2015, claiming Treasury had been captured by apartheid spies and white monopoly capital – Project Spiderweb.
The minister said when the documents surfaced, he was reminded of a remark made by Former President Jacob Zuma a month earlier, about apartheid spies operating at treasury.
He said although he originally dismissed this, he later realised treasury did not enjoy support from Zuma.
Reports showed that Project Spiderweb first came off the email address of then SAA chairperson Dudu Myeni.
The inquiry is dealed with the Project Spiderweb report – which claimed agendas at National Treasury to frustrate radical economic transformation.
Nene said when they knew Treasury was under attack they needed to be vigilant in doing their work going forward.
“I did meet the Gupta family, particularly Mr Ajay Gupta, at a number of occasions, government events… they were regular attendees at government events at that time, but not to discuss government business because that’s generally, what normally comes up,” Nene said.
He says his first encounter was during a dinner after the State of the Nation Address in 2009, while he was deputy minister of finance.
Nene further said that he was later invited to the Sahara offices in Midrand.
The minister told the inquiry that the Guptas marketed themselves as good cooperate citizens, who did not do any business with the state.
According to Nene, it would make sense that government would have supported the media house, if they asked for support of the New Age venture, the minister said.
“The Guptas did not ask for support directly,” Nene said.
Minister Nene also denied allegations that his son benefited from the PIC. He said he has no idea about the origins of the accusations.
Saying what baffled him though, was the timing and how the accusations were raised on social media, which was just a few days before his appearance at the commission.
Source: Daily Sun
