Gordhan’s predicament - was a fake intelligence report to blame?

The Inspector General for Intelligence will be asked to investigate whether a “fake intelligence report” was behind the instruction for Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan to cancel his investor roadshow.

DA MP David Maynier said on Thursday that President Jacob Zuma appeared to have issued the instruction on the basis of an “intelligence report claiming that the finance minister would be holding secret meetings with people in the United Kingdom and the United States to discuss overthrowing the state as part of Operation Check Mate”.

Zuma abruptly instructed Gordhan to return home from London earlier this week‚ almost immediately causing speculation of an imminent cabinet reshuffle.

• Gordhan’s future not part of Cabinet meeting agenda: presidencyThe future of finance minister Pravin Gordhan was not on the agenda at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday‚ a presidential aide said on Thursday. 

As of yet‚ Zuma has been mum on his reasons for cancelling the roadshow.

“This is by far the most bizarre explanation for the bizarre instruction and is exactly the kind of rubbish that one would expect President Vladimir Putin to dream up and have published in Pravda‚” said Maynier.

“The fact is that nobody in their right mind would believe the finance minister would participate in secret meetings with the intention of overthrowing the state.”

• Zuma's plan revealed: SACP, three of ANC’s top six reject No 1’s scheme to replace Gordhan with MolefePresident Jacob Zuma's plan to boot out Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, based on what is claimed to be a damning intelligence report, and replace him with former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe, was rejected by the SACP and half of the top six ANC officials. 

He said Zuma and his inner circle of securocrats were “so prone to conspiracy and so clueless about international finance that we cannot be sure‚ mad as it may seem‚ that the bizarre instruction was not based on a fake intelligence report about a fake intelligence operation‚ comically called ‘Operation Check Mate’.”