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Zuma: My hands are tied on Gordhan charges

Cape Town - President Jacob Zuma said it would be “improper” for him to interfere with the work of law enforcement agencies, such as the National Prosecuting Agency (NPA) and Chapter 9 institutions.

Zuma was responding to a question from the Democratic Alliance in the National Council of Provinces about the charges the NPA brought against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Two weeks ago, the NPA laid charges of fraud against Gordhan and two former colleagues at the South African Revenue Service, Ivan Pillay and Oupa Magashula.

"The recent events regarding allegations - and lately charges preferred by the National Prosecuting Authority against the minister of finance - are a concern to all of us, including the investor communities," Zuma said on Tuesday.

"As Cabinet we have expressed our full support of the minister, while respecting the independence of law enforcement and prosecution authorities.

"The minister has also received public support from various stakeholders in the country since the announcement of the charges, including business, religious leaders and community organisations."

The support, said Zuma, is because of the belief in the rule of law and in the fact that Gordhan is “innocent until found guilty by a competent court of law”.

In a follow-up question, he was asked whether he had prior knowledge of NPA head Sean Abrahams' intention to charge Gordhan, and whether he agreed with the move.

Zuma responded that the decision to charge Gordhan was “before a court” and he was therefore not in a position to answer.

“That meeting between the minister (Gordhan) and the security cluster is not a matter for anyone else. No individual may interfere with independent processes. I hope the Honourable Member is not suggesting that I should have interfered in the matter,” he said. 

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