ANC top six were told of plan to replace Pravin Gordhan with Brian Molefe, says Jessie Duarte
President Jacob Zuma proposed former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe as a potential finance minister to replace Pravin Gordhan‚ ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte has said. Duarte said that at about the time of Gordhan’s axing Zuma had put Molefe’s name forward to his ANC colleagues in the top six of the party. "Obviously he brought the name of Brian Molefe into the discussion and we disagreed. We said no‚ we don’t think that would be a useful change … of course there were very strong words used‚" Duarte said in an interview with the SABC on Tuesday night. "He did say: here’s a young man who’s put Eskom straight‚ why can’t he assist us elsewhere?" Gordhan was fired as finance minister in March during a controversial Cabinet reshuffle that rattled investors. After his departure from Eskom‚ Molefe was appointed as an ANC MP‚ fuelling speculation that he was one step closer to replacing Gordhan. Molefe was seen as a Zuma ally‚ who was meant to advance the business interests of the presi...
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