Public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan says bullying and harassment were used to try chase him out of office in 2016, just after he was re-appointed as finance minister by then president Jacob Zuma. Gordhan was testifying at the state-capture inquiry on Tuesday about the time when 27 questions were sent to him by the Hawks on the eve of delivering the 2016 budget. These were questions were around the so-called rogue unit at the South African Revenue Service (Sars). Gordhan said harsh lessons were learnt from the turmoil that was created when Nhlanhla Nene was removed as finance minister, and the removal of the minister in that portfolio could not repeated so soon after. ‘‘So other means needed to be found ... to force me to resign.’’ He also said the 27 questions were a form of bullying and harrassment. ‘‘There is no other explanation, [other than] that for almost a year, a sitting president who appointed one to a position, a month later or so, then allows his appointees [the Ha...

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