Van Rooyen, Buthelezi, Molefe, Ramokgopa: who might take Gordhan’s role?

There are four candidates President Jacob Zuma is probably attempting to replace Pravin Gordhan with as SA’s finance minister, according to Japanese investment bank Nomura head of emerging markets Peter Attard Montalto.

The most likely candidates are Eskom CEO Brian Molefe, Des Van Rooyen who briefly held the position after Zuma ousted Nhlanhla Nene on December 9, mysterious businessman and new member of parliament Sfiso Buthelezi and former Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa.

"Gordhan is being a blockage to the efficient running of the ANC’s — and particularly the Zuma faction’s — tenderpreneur and patronage model," Nomura’s analysis released on Wednesday night said.

Reasons Zuma is likely to give for replacing Gordhan with a member of his faction include accusing the Treasury of being overly fiscally conservative and "captured by white monopoly capital" and "foreign colonial forces".

Zuma will probably also argue that Gordhan is not the right finance minister for the ANC to implement its National Democratic Revolution (NDR) — the key document defining the ANC’s mission.

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