Share

Gordhan: ‘Who are the Hawks really serving?’

Johannesburg - Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, speaking in Midrand, has responded to the National Prosecuting Authority’s decision to press ahead with charges against him.

Head of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Shaun Abrahams on Tuesday announced that Gordhan has been ordered to appear before court on a charge related to the early retirement of former deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay. 

The summons comes after Gordhan was instructed to report to the Hawks in August regarding investigations into the Sars rogue unit.

At the time of the announcement, Gordhan was attending an Open Tender Seminar in Midrand, Johannesburg.

Gordhan said an official statement will be released by his lawyers regarding the summons, which has been issued 15 days before the mini budget.

“South Africans must ask who the Hawks are really serving?” said Gordhan.

He further asked where the Hawks are getting their instructions from, and said he expects to be handed a summons to be in court on November 2.

UPDATE

Gordhan added that he received a phone call from his family that someone had come to his house to issue the summons this morning.

“These people know who my lawyers are and they know to make arrangements with them for me to receive summons,” said Gordhan.

Gordhan further said it is hard to focus on growing state revenue when the management of Sars is concerned about “non-existent rogue units”.

The NPA’s announcement on Tuesday has rattled the rand, which sank over 3% to the US dollar.

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
18.89
+0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.84
+0.3%
Rand - Euro
20.38
+0.3%
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