PARLIAMENT, March 17 (ANA)
Opposition leader Mmusi Maimane was thrown out of the National Assembly on Thursday after he challenged a claim by President Jacob Zuma that he fired Nhlanhla Nene as finance minister because of the decline of the rand.
Zuma told the National Assembly the decision was “very well considered why we are taking Nene and where we are sending him to”.
“The rand was already on the down slope,” the president added.
“It is not the first time the markets react when either a minister is put or taken away.”
Maimane rose to object excitedly to Zuma’s assertion that the rand was already in decline as “not true”.
Speaker Baleka Mbete intervened and said unless he changed tack, she would ask him to leave the chamber.
Maimane responded “No, no, no”, and the Speaker ordered him out. The entire DA caucus followed after shouting at the ministerial benches “You were appointed by the Guptas, all of you!”
Earlier, Zuma told Parliament that the Gupta family, whom Deputy Finance Minister Jonas Mcebisi has said offered him the ministry, had never appointed any Cabinet minister or deputy minister.
“There is no minister who is here who was ever appointed by the Guptas or by anybody else,” Zuma told the National Assembly.
Pressed by Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane about Jonas’ revelation, Zuma said he knew nothing about it.
“Don’t ask me. Ask the Guptas and Jonas,” he said after chuckling briefly. “Where do I come in?”
He added: “Honourable Speaker, I appointed Jonas as a deputy minister, I never offered Jonas a ministry.”
