Pravin Gordhan and President Jacob Zuma are said to be at odds over the finance minister’s former colleagues at Sars. Rogan Ward, Reuters
Days before democratic South Africa’s most anticipated budget speech, Gordhan received a letter from the Hawks, posing questions to the former South African Revenue Service (Sars) head in connection with a criminal investigation into the activities of the so-called Sars “rogue unitâ€.
Various sources confirmed this as a salvo in the “proxy war†between President Jacob Zuma and Gordhan, with the battle over state resources at stake. At the heart of the battle is the recapturing of Sars from perceived Zuma allies.
It seems that Gordhan is aware that he is walking a tightrope. His budget pulled back from several initiatives that treasury sources had indicated would be appearing in this week’s budget. Those included more robust steps to rein in the board of SAA, and particularly chairperson Dudu Myeni, who is a personal friend of Zuma’s.
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