Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
International

Indian-Origin Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's Sacking Triggers Civil War In S Africa's Ruling ANC

IANS, 31 Mar, 2017 11:57 AM
    The sacking of South Africa’s respected Indian-origin Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in a Cabinet purge pitched the ruling ANC party into chaos on Friday, creating one of its biggest tests since leading the fight against apartheid.
     
    The country’s Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa launched an unprecedented verbal attack on President Jacob Zuma, whose midnight reshuffle sent the rand currency plunging and triggered accusations that he was promoting graft.
     
    Zuma’s axing of Finance Minister Gordhan also unleashed a wave of opposition in the African National Congress, which came to power under Nelson Mandela in the euphoric 1994 elections but has suffered declining support.
     
    Gordhan was widely seen as a competent manager of one of the world’s most important emerging economies.
     
    Ramaphosa went public with his anger, openly attacking his boss.
     
    “I told him that I would not agree with him,” Ramaphosa told reporters.
     
    “There are quite a number of other colleagues and comrades who are unhappy about this situation, particularly the removal of the Minister of Finance who was serving the country with absolute distinction”.
     
    Gordhan was reportedly sacked because of an alleged intelligence report on meetings he held in London earlier this week.
     
    “For him to be removed for this type of reasoning is to me unacceptable,” Ramaphosa said.
     
    Gordhan held a press conference today, saying he heard of his sacking via television and dismissing the intelligence report “as absolute nonsense.”
     
    “We hope more and more South Africans would make it clear that our country is not for sale,” he added.
     
    Zuma made 20 new government appointments in the reshuffle.
     
    “I’m very uncomfortable because areas where ministers do not perform have not been touched,” Gwede Mantashe, the influential ANC Secretary-General, said.
     
    “We can’t be happy (with the decision to sack Gordhan) because we think that the Finance Minister was a hard worker.” Gordhan had been at loggerheads with Zuma for months, receiving support from several ministers and major foreign investors, as well as many ordinary South Africans and veterans of the anti-apartheid struggle.
     
    He campaigned for budget discipline and against corruption, but Zuma’s allies have accused Gordhan of thwarting the president’s desire to enact radical policies to tackle racial inequality.
     
    Mantashe told 702 Radio that Zuma was aware that many in the ANC were “unhappy” about the purge, in which Gordhan was replaced by Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba.
     
    “The President came with a list. (He) said ‘you can comment if you want to comment, but this is my decision,’” Mantashe said.
     
    The ANC, which was banned under white-minority rule, has lost popularity due to corruption allegations, record unemployment and slow economic growth. 

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Barack Obama Is Ready To Return To Politics To Help The Democrats

    Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder emphatically said: “It’s coming. He’s coming. And he’s ready to roll.”

    Barack Obama Is Ready To Return To Politics To Help The Democrats

    Delhi to Mumbai in 80 Minutes: Hyperloop One Shows India How

    Delhi to Mumbai in 80 Minutes: Hyperloop One Shows India How
    US-based Hyperloop One on Tuesday made a strong pitch for Indian market to move people and goods much faster way using magnetic levitation technology.

    Delhi to Mumbai in 80 Minutes: Hyperloop One Shows India How

    Go Back To Your Country: Indian Girl Abused and Harassed On Train in New York

    Go Back To Your Country: Indian Girl Abused and Harassed On Train in New York
    An Indian-origin woman posted a video on her Facebook profile that shows a man hurling racial slurs at her and another Asian woman in a train in New York, USA.

    Go Back To Your Country: Indian Girl Abused and Harassed On Train in New York

    Indian-Americans Launch Online Petition To Clearly Denounce Kansas Killing

    Indian-Americans Launch Online Petition To Clearly Denounce Kansas Killing
    Indian-Americans have launched an online petition calling upon US President Donald Trump to "clearly and unequivocally" denounce the fatal shooting of an Indian engineer in an apparent hate crime in Kansas city.

    Indian-Americans Launch Online Petition To Clearly Denounce Kansas Killing

    Donald Trump's Spy Pick 'Shocked' By India Launching 104 Satellites

    Donald Trump's Spy Pick 'Shocked' By India Launching 104 Satellites
    US President Donald Trump's nominee to be the Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, has said he was "shocked" to know that India successfully launched over 100 satellites in one go, asserting that the US cannot afford to be seen lagging behind.

    Donald Trump's Spy Pick 'Shocked' By India Launching 104 Satellites

    Donald Trump's Canada-Like Merit-Based Immigration Proposal Could Benefit Indians

    Donald Trump's Canada-Like Merit-Based Immigration Proposal Could Benefit Indians
    US President Donald Trump's proposal for a merit-based immigration system has the potential to benefit Indians, a large number of whom have high levels of education and skills.

    Donald Trump's Canada-Like Merit-Based Immigration Proposal Could Benefit Indians