One said the return of a proven finance minister to the job would “restore some confidence” in the country; the other saw Pravin Gordhan’s reappointment as “an official admission that we truly are a joke as South Africa”.
A third said South Africa can’t afford “to have a president who is a walking-talking disaster”.
The country’s major opposition parties – the Democratic Alliance (DA)‚ the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Congress of the People (Cope) –saw Sunday night’s announcement as proof that President Jacob Zuma’s surprise axing of Nhlanhla Nene last week was “reckless”.
Nene made way for unknown African National Congress (ANC) MP David van Rooyen last Wednesday‚ apparently without the knowledge of cabinet. On Sunday night‚ Zuma announced that Van Rooyen would swap with Gordhan‚ who was minister in the Presidency for co-operative governance.
“Effectively‚ the country has had three finance ministers in one week‚” the EFF’s Mbuyiseni Quintin Ndlozi said.
“If anyone still does not think we are in a banana republic‚ they cannot be helped.
Cope’s Dennis Bloem also used the words “banana republic”‚ saying an “out of the blue…announcement” like Sunday nights could only happens only in one.
Both Bloem and Ndlozi called for Zuma’s immediate resignation.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane said Zuma “has been playing Russian roulette with our economy and future as a country over the past five days”.
“Our currency has reached record lows‚ our banks have lost billions on the JSE and the confidence of investors and ratings agencies has plummeted‚” he added.
“It is quite clear that the president did not anticipate the damage his decision would do to South Africa’s economy nor the backlash he would receive both from the public and from inside the tripartite alliance.”
It was the latter that prompted Sunday night’s announcement‚ ventured Maimane.
“The criticism he has received both inside and outside the ANC shows that he is a president who has lost internal control of his party and who no longer enjoys public support.”
Maimane said it “is common sense to have in cabinet a proven finance minister who brings fiscal discipline to the government”.
“And we trust Gordhan will continue to hold the line of former Nene in respect of SAA (South African Airlines) and the nuclear build procurement deal.”
Reports in the Sunday Times “gave further credence”‚ said Maimane‚ “to the theory that Nene was removed…because of his standing firm on the SAA Airbus deal on top of trying to delay the nuclear build procurement deal”.
A nasty difference of opinion on the Airbus issue between Nene and controversial SAA chairperson Dudu Myeni‚ who is a close confidante of Zuma‚ was widely believed to have been Nene's undoing.
Cope’s Bloem asked: “Did his romantic dalliance overcome every responsibility to the state?”
This was a reference to media reports that Zuma and Miyeni had a relationship that resulted in a “love child”. The Presidency has denied these reports.
Bloem also questioned “why was Nene not reappointed?”
“Why was he humiliated the way he was? Nene did what he did for the sake of South Africa and that is the standard every minister should subscribe to.
“Is the president so full of himself that he could not humble himself to ask Nene to come back to the relief of everyone?”..