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Cape Town - Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan delivered a powerful message to South Africans on the state of the economy when he took on political commentator Justice Malala in the second Rumble in the Urban Jungle event.
The debate organised by the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry was held at the Westin on Wednesday.
It came at a time when Gordhan is being pressed by the Hawks to appear at their office to receive a letter of warning regarding an investigation unit set up when Gordhan was Sars commissioner from 1999 to 2009.
Read: The four people who could possibly replace Gordhan
However, he said in a statement issued by Treasury that he had been advised that he is under no legal obligation to do this and will, therefore, not meet the Hawks.
Gordhan said he has a job to do in a difficult economic environment and serve South Africa as best he can. "Let me do my job," he implored.
Watch the video of Gordhan telling South Africans not to worry about the country:
I am an optimist, not a pessimist.
I have faith in people and South Africans.
I believe that even if we wear a different colour t-shirt around election time, we all want South Africa to work. And work well. Regardless of the colour of the t-shirt.
For me, booms and busts are part of the economic era or epoc that we live in. And there will be busts, so there is a recession in Russia, there is a recession in Brazil, there are others teetering around or just below zero percent growth in the world. We are part of that company.
I met, lets call it, a financial sector agency recently, who had just visited Brazil and said SA is still better than its equivalent peer group companies in other parts of the world.
So I don't despair like Justice at all. And congratulate yourself as South Africans, there is hope for us, don't worry."
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