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Addressing reporters ahead of his first Budget speech on Wednesday, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said he did not intend to abandon his post after the May national elections if the ANC is returned to government.
In a briefing which took place before he tabled the Budget in Parliament, Mboweni denied speculation from economic and political observers that he only intended to keep the ministerial seat warm until after the polls.
In a light-hearted moments during the briefing, the minister was asked if he intended on vacating his position after the elections.
"I made a deal with the deputy president (David Mabuza) and told him if he and his party win elections, then I won't abandon you so quick[ly].
"So I'm happy to stick around. I am just waiting to see if they will win," Mboweni joked. "I will be around for a while, don't worry about that."
Mentioning former Business Day editor Peter Bruce by name, Mboweni rejected claims that he did not take his job as minister seriously, saying that he took an oath to the Constitution when he was sworn into office.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions - which is one of the ANC's partners in the tripartite alliance - was among the harsher critics of the speech after it was delivered, saying the minister had failed to "rise to the occasion".
