Cyril Ramaphosa ducks question on Nhlanhla Nene, saying he is ‘hard of hearing’
Meanwhile it has emerged that Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has agreed to conduct an investigation into Nene for possible breach of the Executive Members' Ethics Act
President Cyril Ramaphosa has deflected questions on the future of finance minister Nhlanhla Nene‚ saying he was "hard of hearing". Ramaphosa avoided the questions during a ceremony to unveil a presidential commemorative stamp in his honour as part of the South African Post Office's World Post Day celebrations, at his Cape Town office of Tuynhuys. But journalists were more interested in the president's views on the fate of Nene amid growing calls for him to be axed following his public apology over his meetings with the Guptas. "I am a bit hard of hearing these days‚" said Ramaphosa as members of the media asked if Nene still enjoyed his confidence. "I actually have to go to an ear [specialist]. Thank you very much." Nene told the commission of inquiry into state capture last week he had met the Gupta family a number of times between 2010 and 2014 when he was deputy finance minister and then minister, despite having earlier denied this. Nene subsequently asked Ramaphosa to relieve h...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.