Share

Ramaphosa: ANC will put its affairs to bed

Cape Town - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa called upon “all and sundry” to take care of what they say and do to avoid destabilising the country's economy, so that the outside world would not be led to believe government is not functioning.

He was answering oral questions from MPs in the National Assembly and responding to DA leader Mmusi Maimane, who raised the issue of the perceived war between President Jacob Zuma and Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

“There is a war between the president and Treasury,” Maimane said. “You yourself said that we couldn’t afford to be a government ‘at war with itself’. What will you do to put this war to bed? How will you make it stop?”

Ramaphosa made a statement to that effect when he was delivering a eulogy at the memorial service of the late Reverend Makhenkesi Stofile in Alice in the Eastern Cape last week.

“It was worrying to have a state that seemed to be at war with itself,” he said at the time, referring to reports that the Hawks had demanded that the finance minister present himself at its offices.

On Thursday in Parliament Ramaphosa conceded that the “the events of the past few weeks have been a concern to many South Africans”.

He called on everybody making “sensational statements” to refrain from saying things that could exacerbate the situation. According to Ramaphosa, processes are under way that will “put the matter to bed”.

Maimane was also referring to the decision by asset manager Futuregrowth to stop lending money to state-owned enterprises unless there is more certainty about how they are being run.

Ramaphosa responded that it is also important that non-government entities, which are “tempted to join the fray”, resist from doing so. “We’re taking all measures possible to ensure economic growth,” he said.

'ANC government its own worst enemy'

FF Plus parliamentary spokesperson on the economy Advocate Anton Alberts said Futuregrowth's move underscores the fact that the ANC government is now its own worst enemy.

In a statement on Thursday, Alberts said the ANC is now succeeding in getting sanctions implemented against itself through its ineptness and internal divisiveness.

“Sanctions were instituted against the previous government, not due to its ineptness, but due to its ideologically racial policy. The ANC is achieving this dubious success through its own ineptness.

“It is now undoubtedly becoming clear that the ANC no longer holds the moral high ground. International organisations will most certainly take note that South African institutions are turning their backs on the country’s government, and a domino effect is on the cards,” Alberts said.


Read Fin24's top stories trending on Twitter:

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.90
+0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.84
+0.3%
Rand - Euro
20.39
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
+0.3%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders