Share

Van Rooyen was highly qualified for finance job, says Zuma

Pretoria - Des van Rooyen was the most qualified person to be appointed to the position of finance minister, President Jacob Zuma said on Monday.

"That thing caused such havoc and people think Zuma just woke up one day and took a decision," Zuma told political reporters and editors at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

"You know Des van Rooyen is my comrade, MK for that matter, he's a trained finance and economic comrade and more qualified than any minister I have ever appointed in the finance issue."

Zuma was speaking to the group at the launch of the Presidential Press Corp (PPC).

READ: DA slams Zuma's 'unwise' Van Rooyen remarks

In December, Zuma faced a backlash after he announced that he was replacing Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene with Van Rooyen, who was an ANC MP.

There was a public outcry and calls for Zuma to be recalled over the move, which saw the rand reach record lows.

Four days after the announcement, Zuma backtracked, replacing Van Rooyen with Pravin Gordhan, a respected former finance minister. The rand recovered somewhat.

READ: Named: Van Rooyen’s two Gupta 'advisers' who almost hijacked SA Treasury

Zuma on Monday said as president he took decisions, which was his constitutional right.

"They want to take decisions on behalf of the president, at times including some in the media, not everyone," he said.

"You may not know why I took that decision, you might get very good reasons why, but if you don't know you speculate on the basis of what you see, when there might be very serious reasons," he said without giving any further details.

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
18.92
-0.1%
Rand - Pound
23.90
-0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.44
+0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.35
+0.0%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.1%
Platinum
909.30
+1.4%
Palladium
1,015.00
+1.3%
Gold
2,220.40
+1.2%
Silver
24.86
+0.9%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.9%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.9%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
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