Zuma tells SACP leaders Gordhan will be fired – report

President Jacob Zuma on Monday reportedly told senior leaders of the South African Communist Party (SACP) during a bilateral meeting in Johannesburg that he planned to fire Pravin Gordhan as finance minister.

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that according to three sources with knowledge of the matter, Zuma told the governing party’s alliance partners Gordhan’s time at National Treasury was up because he was apparently “blocking him” as a president with the responsibility of leading a government.

However, at a later meeting with the ANC’s top six leaders, which included Cyril Ramaphosa‚ Baleka Mbete‚ Gwede Mantashe‚ Jessie Duarte and Zweli Mkhize, it is unclear what happened in that discussion.

In an extraordinary move on Monday, the Presidency announced Zuma had instructed Gordhan and his deputy, Mcebisi Jonas, to cancel their scheduled international investor roadshow this week in the UK and US – a decision that has seen the rand plummet.

The ANC’s head of economic policy, Enoch Godongwana, told Bloomberg he was not aware Gordhan would be axed from his job. He said if that were to happen, it would be tragic and damaging for the local economy, which has struggled with poor growth levels.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported on Tuesday morning Gordhan arrived back in the country after his investor roadshow was cut short in London. He landed at OR Tambo International Airport at 10:00 am, where he told journalists he had met about 50 investors who had “great faith in our economy”.

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