Reduce the negative noise over Gordhan and Zuma: Treasury DG Lungisa Fuzile

27 May 2016 - 19:26 By Penwell Dlamini
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President Jacob Zuma and Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan. File Photo.
President Jacob Zuma and Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan. File Photo.
Image: GALLO IMAGES

The director-general in the National Treasury has affirmed Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's support from President Jacob Zuma and urged South Africans to reduce negative noise about the country.

Speaking at the Metals and Engineering Indaba hosted by the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa‚ Treasury DG Lungisa Fuzile said Gordhan had been hard at work.

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Fuzile said of Gordhan: "From the time he came in December‚ he has worked tirelessly on what was a difficult budget to put together because our government had to put out a budget that begins to instill confidence in South Africa's ability to manage its fiscal affairs in a sustainable manner.

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"The budget was received overwhelming positively. No minister of finance can produce a budget as tough as the one that Minister Gordhan has produced if his colleagues and the President as the chief executive officer of government is not in support of him.

“It is in the interest of the country and therefore the interest of everyone that that happens. He has also been running a process that ensures that he preserves our investment grade rating. He has been the face of it. But he is running that process on behalf of government. The president and some of the ministers have been with him‚ either meeting business or addressing the media on the same issues.

“...The minister himself has (said) 'all ministers serve at the pleasure of the president'. He is there. We are hard at work to make sure that we do what our country needs globally‚ even domestically."

When asked about the impact of reports of a rift between Gordhan and President Jacob Zuma to the economy‚ Fuzile replied: “We would do better without those noises".

"We compete with many parts of the world for capital for investment.

"If the nuisance factor can be reduced‚ [it is] all the best for us to attract investment... We want to be attractive to investment‚ therefore we should make sure that our discourse does not undermine our ability to attract investment.

“At the same time we've got to reduce the amount of noise in our system‚ especially as it pertains to various policies that are under consideration so that we can improve confidence and make our country an attractive investment destination."

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