Finance Minister Trevor Manuel reiterated he is willing to serve another term if asked by the new government after next year’s elections, his spokesperson, Thoraya Pandy, said on Thursday.
Pandy dismissed reports that Manuel might leave his position after he told Radio Sonder Grense in an interview that he had been ”too long in this chair”. The report raised speculation that Manuel might leave after the elections.
”Nothing he said is new and I can state categorically that he is not going anywhere,” Pandy said.
”All he said was ‘I don’t own this job’. If the president asks him to serve he will serve the people of the country — that is the spirit of what he was saying,” Pandy said.
Respected by investors as having a steady hand, Manuel remaining as finance minister is seen as crucial to ensure stability and confidence after the elections.
The African National Congress remains dominant in local politics and is likely to win next year’s vote, but influential leftist voices in the party have unnerved investors.
Manuel resigned in September after former President Thabo Mbeki was fired by the ANC, sending local markets into a tailspin, but President Kgalema Motlanthe swiftly re-appointed him. — Reuters