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Cape Town - Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel is marrying his long-time sweetheart, new Absa CEO Maria Ramos, outside Franschhoek on Saturday.
Although official sources on Wednesday refused to confirm or deny the news, 52-year-old Manuel and 49-year-old Ramos, who was recently appointed chief executive of Absa, are understood to be tying the knot on the L'Ormarins wine estate in the shadows of the Groot Drakenstein mountain.
The farm belongs to the Rupert family and is characterised by Huguenot-style historical buildings dating back to 1694.
The couple, who want to keep the wedding as quiet as possible, had not responded to enquiries by Tuesday evening and Thoraya Pandy, Manuel's spokesperson declined to confirm or deny that the nuptials were taking place.
The occasion will be one of the glittering weddings of the year and it is understood invitations are highly sought-after and few in number.
Details of all the wedding arrangements have been closely kept under wraps, but the honeymoon will apparently be spent in Cape Town.
Manuel grew up in the Cape Town suburb of Kensington, while Ramos was born in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.
The couple's path to the altar has hardly been strewn with roses, especially because they got to know each other while Manuel was still married.
Manuel is genuinely regarded as one of the foremost finance ministers in the world and has an outstanding struggle history, including within the ranks of the United Democratic Front (UDF).
Ramos, who was formally director-general of the National Treasury, where she worked closely with Manuel, has since received worldwide recognition for the way in which she effected the economic turnaround at Transnet.
For a long time the two were reluctant to discuss their relationship openly but, over the years, they have increasingly appeared together in public. One of the most recent events that they attended together was the Cape launch of Manuel's biography, Choice, Not Fate, at the Vineyard Hotel in Newlands.
This year Manuel caused heads to turn in Parliament when he mentioned Ramos, thanking her for her support and referring to her as part of his family.
"To my family, who have so long suffered in silence - Maria, the boys, my mother, my sister, Oupa and the extended family - thank you," Manuel said.
Controversy was soon to follow.
On Ramos' appointment to Absa questions arose about a possible conflict of interest arising from her relationship with Manuel.
Both declared it would present no problem and the appointment will soon be effective.
- Beeld
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