Ramaphosa and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma are regarded as front-runners to take over from Zuma as ANC president next year
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has said that the firing of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan is “unacceptable”, according to eNCA.
He will not, however, step down from his position over the situation.
While it was thought that Zuma would accept a “stay of execution” for Gordhan until Monday, a little after midnight on Friday morning, he announced 20 changes to his cabinet which have left Gordhan out of the national executive. Critics of Gordhan accused him of being a barrier to radical transformation by refusing to fund radical programmes aimed at effecting radical change.
“I have directed the new ministers and deputy ministers to work tirelessly with their colleagues to bring about radical socioeconomic transformation and to ensure that the promise of a better life for the poor and the working class becomes a reality,” Zuma said in his statement.