Zuma warns that ministers who disagree with him ‘demoralise our people’
The president says he has instructed the new finance minister to assure the international community of SA’s ‘continued stability and competitiveness’
On Tuesday, President Jacob Zuma said he had instructed newly appointed Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba to reach out to the international community to assure them of SA’s continued stability and competitiveness. In his first public appearance since S&P Global Ratings downgraded SA’s foreign currency rating to sub-investment grade, Zuma said the government also recognised that statements from ministers pointing to disagreements were undermining public confidence. "We know that public statements that indicate disagreement in government by ministers, for example, demoralise our people and create confusion. This is a serious weakness, and we shall attend to it with renewed vigour," Zuma said at the launch of Transnet’s TransAfrica locomotive in Pretoria. S&P departed from its ratings schedule, explicitly citing the removal of former finance minister Pravin Gordhan as a clear sign of risk with in terms of significant policy shifts by the government. On Tuesday, Zuma thanked Gordhan and hi...
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