SA Minister of Finance vs President Zuma: The Final Act Approaching

SOUTH AFRICA - In Brief 12 Oct 2016 by Iraj Abedian
The SA political economy stage has become noisier, busier and more confusing over the past 24 hours. Generally speaking, the country’s governance dynamics has become akin to a complex plot of modern day movie, with a mix of suspense, thrill, drama, law, and political skull-doggery, playing out in the context of an evolving Constitutional Democracy. Today, SA Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan, made it clear that he is not resigning, leaving it to President Zuma to make the call. Yesterday, National Prosecuting Agency (NPA) director, Shaun Abraham, presented himself to the nation with a weak and flimsy case against the Minister and two other previous SARS executives, setting in motion a national discourse around his intentions, loyalty, and potentially his future in the legal profession. Minister of Finance’s court appearance day is set for November 2nd, 2016. Meanwhile, the President is travelling in Kenya on a state visit, and will return to SA later this week. Meanwhile, some interesting and related developments are emerging, adding additional complexity to the political economy scene. Critical amongst these are: Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has announced that President Zuma’s lawyers have one month to present their ‘oral arguments’ as to why his 783 cases of fraud, corruption, and racketeering should not be reinstated. Earlier this month, the Constitutional Court declined to pronounce on the NDA’s appeal in this regard, saying that it is up to SCA, at least for the time being. The upshot of this process brings a 10-year legal battle to the near end, and if Zuma’s legal team loses the case, then NPA will have no choice but to lay charges against the President. The Pub...

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