Newly appointed Finance Malusi Gigaba has committed to continuing the sound leadership and stewardship of the South African economy.
Gigaba addressed his first media briefing as the new Finance Minister in Pretoria today, following a dramatic day of political developments in which Pravin Gordhan and Mcebisi Jonas were finally shown the door by President Jacob Zuma.
Gordhan’s axing sparked widespread condemnation from political parties and civil society groups, with legal action pending and a motion of no confidence in Zuma looming in Parliament.
But, the new Finance Minister said that he has already had consultations with stakeholders including ratings agencies, while he confirmed that he would be meeting Gordhan and Jonas on Monday.
In his media briefing Saturday, Minister Gigaba conceded that the country was at a highly politicised and contentious moment in its political history, but he said “we must rise to the challenge” as there is no time to waste.
The Finance Minister also acknowledged the “sterling leadership of this portfolio by previous ANC ministers, committing to implementing the policies of the ANC as articulated in their 2014 conference resolutions and election manifesto.
Gigaba said when he was informed about his appointment “I wasn’t told to go Treasury to rubber-stamp any projects”.
He said all government ministers were Zuma appointees.
