Catholic bishops to Zuma: ‘Assure SA that Hawks’ probe of Gordhan isn’t politically motivated’
SA’s Catholic bishops are not convinced by President Jacob Zuma’s stated position that he can’t intervene in the standoff between Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and the Hawks.
While the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) noted Zuma said last week that “he could not bring a halt to the probe even if it was affecting the economy negatively”‚ Bishop Abel Gabuza “insists that the president can and should do more”.
>http://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2016/08/25/Zuma-has-no-power-to-intervene-between-Hawks-and-Gordhan“We ask the president to intervene in the current impasse in a manner that assures the country that the probe against the finance minister is not politically motivated‚” said Gabuza‚ who chairs the SACBC’s Justice and Peace Commission.
Gordhan snubbed a Hawks demand to present himself at its offices for a warning statement about charges that stem from his time as commissioner of the South African Revenue Service.
The bishops’ concern is the “that current uncertainties around the future of the finance minister and the Treasury are not in the interest of the poorest of the poor”.
“In the context of the current fragile economy‚ and given the enormous hardships that the poor are already facing in our country‚ it is ethically improper of our political leaders to create uncertainties around the Treasury and diminish the country’s ability to avert a credit-rating downgrade that would hurt the poor‚” said Gabuza.
“That is why we are calling on the Presidency and Parliament to do more to intervene in the current crisis around the Treasury.
“The statement that the Presidency issued last week has failed to offer such a high level of assurance. More needs to be done.”
Gabuza stressed that “as church leaders we do not have the competence to determine the merits and demerits of the alleged criminal case against” Gordhan.
Nonetheless‚ said Gabuza: “We strongly caution our political leaders against the use of State agencies and judicial processes to fight their factional battles and advance their narrow interests‚ without regard to its consequences on the economy and the poor.
“As there is a lot at stake for the economy and the poor‚ we ask the president to offer the country a greater level of assurance that the Hawks’ probe against the finance minister was not initiated as a part of a broader ploy to remove the finance minister from office and weaken Treasury’s capacity to fight tender corruption and inefficient governance of state-owned enterprises.” – Tiso Black Star Group Digita