Read Mashaba’s spicy response to Nene nuclear deal comment

Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba clapped back at columnist and author Max du Preez for suggesting the country is indebted to former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene for not signing the Russian nuclear deal.

Du Preez in a tweet said the country was indebted to Nene for “blocking the Russian nuke deal that cost him his job the first time around”.

The columnist mentioned how sad it was to see Nene go: “Despite his lie on the Gupta visits, he was a capable minister of integrity and wisdom.”

Mashaba is, however, convinced Nene was anything but a man with integrity. His response was that Nene did not do anyone a favour by not signing the nuclear deal, but that it was his constitutional competency and responsibility to do so.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Tito Mboweni as the new finance minister replacing Nhlanhla Nene on Tuesday after the latter submitted a resignation letter to the president.

Ramaphosa explained how Nene felt the recent revelations of him having met with the Guptas several times while deputy minister of finance, despite earlier denying having done so, would “detract from the important task of serving the people of South Africa”.

Nene apologised to the nation for having shown poor judgment in not having disclosed these meetings earlier.

Du Preez appears to not be the only one on social media who believes that it was Nene who saved South Africa.

Social media user @alecrddle tweeted that Nene saved the country from – or rather deferred from – bankruptcy by preventing the nuclear deal from going ahead.

He was responding to a tweet alleging that Ramaphosa was setting a bad example by letting go of Nene.

(Compiled by Gopolang Chawane)

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