Helen Suzman Foundation going to ConCourt to set aside Gordhan axing‚ Zuma's removal

The Helen Suzman Foundation and My Vote Counts have approached the Constitutional Court to have Pravin Gordhan’s axing as finance minister set aside‚ together with that of his deputy Mcebisi Jonas.

“The Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) and My Vote Counts NPC (MVC) have approached the Constitutional Court for relief against the President and the National Assembly‚” the organisations said in a statement.

Their application seeks the following from the court:

•to declare Gordhan and Jonas’s dismissal unconstitutional and invalid and to set it aside;

•to declare that President Jacob Zuma and the National Assembly violated their constitutional duties; and

•to direct the Speaker of the National Assembly to institute an investigation into the president’s conduct‚ with a view to possible removal proceedings against Zuma‚ in terms of Section 89 of the constitution.

President Jacob Zuma axed Gordhan and Jonas in March‚ along with several other ministers‚ in a decision that was widely criticsed. Senior ANC leaders also criticised the cabinet reshuffle‚ saying they were not consulted.