Faith Muthambi jumps to Zuma’s defence, says ministers serve at his behest

Communications Minister Faith Muthambi, a staunch supporter of President Jacob Zuma, has slammed the media over what she calls the “hysteria” it has caused about the future of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

In an opinion editorial published by Daily Maverick on Tuesday, Muthambi charged that there was a myth created that Gordhan, who’s widely speculated to be axed by Zuma from Cabinet, was a “defiant super-minister.”

“Overlooked in this hysteria is the obvious – ministers serve at the pleasure and behest of the president. This is a constitutional prerogative. And President Zuma’s action in summoning any minister falls within the realm of his constitutional role and powers,” Muthambi said.

Zuma has faced increased criticism over his decision on Monday to abruptly cancel National Treasury’s international investor roadshow to the UK and US this week, causing the rand to plummet as uncertainty over Gordhan’s future swelled.

The Presidency issued a terse statement following reports over the trip’s cancellation, stating that he had instructed Gordhan, who was in London at the time, and his delegation to immediately return to the country without providing any reasons.

The president’s decision has fueled widespread speculation that he might be preparing the ground for a Cabinet reshuffle, with Gordhan and his deputy, Mcebisi Jonas, as his targets.

Muthambi said Gordhan’s powers shouldn’t be overestimated and Zuma underestimated.

“Arguably, having created a myth of a defiant and super-minister in Minister Gordhan, it must have been difficult for the media to come to terms with the fact that Minister Gordhan’s powers are limited.

“Perhaps the infuriating aspect of the minister being summoned is that it provides proof that President Zuma is not the lame-duck president that the media has invested in projecting. In one fell swoop, their investment in projecting an image of a powerless president went up in smoke.

“Indeed, for the last few months, the media, analysts and their owners have gone as far as suggesting that President Zuma has been thoroughly emasculated since an attempt to pass a motion of no confidence on his leadership by some in his party. But such efforts are troubling for a nascent democracy,” she said.

She claimed the media wanted South Africans to come to terms with the idea that “foreign entities” could whip Zuma in line by negating his constitutional powers to fire and hire ministers.

“But the manipulation of our currency is easy to manipulate. Indeed, the hysteria around the summoning of the minister of finance is nothing short of a collective, dishonest and deliberate amnesia …”

Muthambi also urged citizens to “protect our democracy from being sold to the highest bidder”.

“The dictum that ‘the price of freedom is eternal vigilance’ is as relevant today as when it was first crafted. Indeed, one of the mistakes liberation movements make the world over is to assume that the struggle for liberation ends the minute freedom is attained.”

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