Former deputy minister of finance Mcebisi Jonas appears at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture as a witness to allegations of bribery by the Gupta family during his tenure at the finance department, Johannesburg, 24 August 2018. Picture: Matthews Baloyi / ANA
Bloomberg has reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa is already shopping around for a replacement for Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene, and that his first port of call was former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas.
Their sources told them Jonas declined on Monday. He himself had not been available to confirm the report.
Other news outlets have confirmed that the president has been discussing Nene’s future with him after the minister asked to be relieved of his duties over the weekend.
The presidency has said Ramaphosa is concerned about the impact the uncertainty around Nene is having on the markets, and is therefore focusing on resolving the matter speedily.
Nene apologised to the nation last week for not having admitted to meetings with the controversial Gupta family during his time as deputy finance minister and in his first stint as finance minister under Jacob Zuma.
Opposition parties, particularly the EFF, have called for Nene to be replaced.
(Compiled by Charles Cilliers)
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