Lieutenant-general Berning Ntlemeza’s Hawks unit has shown its hand against finance minister Pravin Gordhan — and if this were poker, it would be clear that the Hawks have been bluffing.The Hawks demanded that Gordhan report to their offices on Thursday to receive a “warning statement”, along with four other Sars officials — a precursor to possible criminal charges. Gordhan refused, saying he was under no obligation to do so and that the Hawks’ claims were “wholly unfounded”.The fracas has caused a ruction in the markets. The rand tumbled 5% since the news broke earlier this week, undoing the currency’s recent recovery. Banking and property stocks were also hammered on the JSE over fears that president Jacob Zuma would use the trumped-up charges to oust Gordhan.However, the letter to Gordhan from the Hawks has now emerged — and, remarkably, it suggests they’re trying to nail SA’s finance minister on a little-used technicality under the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).The letter...
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