The Presidency has dismissed reports of the imminent arrest of Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan as the “work of dangerous information peddlers who wish to cause confusion and mayhem in the country”. In a statement‚ the Presidency said: “The Presidency has noted the story in the Sunday Times alleging an imminent arrest of the Minister of Finance. We have also noted the response of law enforcement agencies which have swiftly denied the rumour. It is clear therefore that the story is the work of dangerous information peddlers who wish to cause confusion and mayhem in the country.“President Zuma and the whole of government are focused on the goal of reigniting economic growth‚ preserving existing jobs and creating more jobs through working together with business and labour. A lot of progress is being made in this regard as was seen in the outcomes of the meeting convened by President Zuma last week‚” the statement added.The Sunday Times reported that the Hawks wanted Gordhan to be prosecuted for "espionage" in a case related to the activities of the South African Revenue Service "rogue unit" established while he was the tax agency's commissioner.It said that according to senior Hawks sources‚ the unit had handed over a case docket to the National Prosecuting Authority for a decision to prosecute Gordhan and eight other former SARS officials said to have been involved in or have had knowledge of the unit's activities.The unit has been accused of illegally gathering intelligence and spying on taxpayers.“The Sunday Times understands that some of Gordhan's cabinet colleagues were informed of his imminent arrest this week.“Insiders at the Hawks and the NPA told the Sunday Times that they were waiting for the "political go-ahead" before acting‚” the newspaper stated. However‚ reports on Sunday quoted both the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Hawks denying that they were investigating Gordhan.Eyewitness News (EWN quoted the NPA as saying that it had not received a docket for Gordhan’s arrest over his involvement in the matter‚ while ENCA television news reported that that Hawks had denied it had handed a docket to the NPA to bring a case against the finance minister.EWN quoted the NPA’s Luvuyo Mfaku as saying: “No docket has been handed over to the NPA for a decision. The matter is still under investigation. Our prosecutors are assisting in terms of guiding the investigation.”When contacted for comment on the report‚ Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi referred TMG Newswire to the Presidency.The National Treasury was not immediately available for comment.Meanwhile‚ the Presidency earlier issued a statement saying it condemned the actions of what it referred to as information peddlers who keep spreading rumours about alleged changes in the Cabinet of President Jacob Zuma.“Ministers serve at the pleasure of the President. He has the prerogative to hire and fire Ministers at any time‚” the Presidency said in a statement on Sunday.Despite that‚ it said‚ the Presidency had issued a statement recently communicating that there were no plans to change the Minister of Finance.“Information peddlers have also been spreading false rumours about changes in the Department of Trade and Industry. A statement was also issued recently rebutting the DTI rumours.“The President and Government are focused on the goal of uniting business‚ labour‚ government and the whole country behind the mission of strengthening the economy and reigniting growth during the current difficult economic climate. A lot of progress is being made in this regard and work will continue to fight the slow growth so that jobs can be saved and created‚” the statement added.Commenting earlier on the Sunday Times report‚ the Democratic Alliance said if Gordhan was arrested it would be a disaster for South Africa‚ warning that it would cause an “economic earthquake and make ‘9/12’ look like a minor economic tremor”.“The timing of the rumours could not be worse and will not only cause further turmoil in the markets‚ but also compromise efforts to avoid a ratings downgrade in South Africa‚” said DA spokesman on finance David Maynier...