On the evening of 9 December 2015, former President Zuma announced the removal of Mr Nene and the appointment of Mr Van Rooyen.
This had an immediate impact on the financial markets. Shortly after Mr van Rooyen was sworn in, then Director-General of National Treasury, Mr Lungisa Fuzile, asked to meet me urgently.
He expressed grave concern, based on his interaction with the new Minister and his advisors, about the impact this development would have on the ability of National Treasury to properly exercise its functions.
Concerned by what I considered the ‘capture’ of National Treasury, I contact ANC Deputy Secretary General Ms Jessie Duarte and indicated that I would resign my position as Deputy President of the Republic. I believe that Ms Duarte conveyed my message to the then-President.
There was a flurry of consultations that involved some of the ANC officials expressing disquiet about the appointment of Mr Des van Rooyen.
The then ANC Secretary General Mr Gwede Mantashe, Ms Duarte and I urged the President to appoint Mr Pravin Gordhan as Minister of Finance instead, as this would be in the best interests of the country and would help to calm the financial markets.
I believe the decision by President Zuma to replace Mr van Rooyen with Mr Gordhan was critical in preventing further damage to the economy and safeguarding the integrity of National Treasury.
There were other instances, which I detail in my statement, where it was necessary to make public statements on decisions which I considered contrary to the national interests.
One such instance was the removal of Mr Gordhan and Mr Mcebisi Jonas as Minister and Deputy Minister of Finance respectively on 30 March 2017.
At the meeting when former President Zuma informed the ANC Officials of his decision, I raised my concern that the Minister and the Deputy Minister were being removed based on an unsubstantiated intelligence report.
I told the former President that I disagreed with his reasons and that I would publicly state my objection.
While I reiterated that the President has the constitutional prerogative to appoint and dismiss members of the Cabinet, I felt it necessary to speak out, especially because of the serious consequences this decision had on our economy and our country.

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More from @CyrilRamaphosa

11 Aug
Chairperson,
 
Many people sacrificed their lives in the fight to end apartheid and bring us to the new Constitutional dispensation.
 
When we dishonour the Constitution, its principles and values, we dishonour them too.
Since state capture is an assault on the democratic process, it is necessary that the process of extricating the State from a position of ‘capture’ is inclusive, democratic and involves the broad range of interests in society.
This is addressed in part by the public nature of this Commission’s work.
 
But the hard work will begin after it has finalised its hearings and submitted its report.
Read 9 tweets
11 Aug
Finally, I turn to Mr Koko’s allegation that I improperly interfered to procure his dismissal from Eskom in January 2018.
 
As I detail in my statement to the Commission, Eskom was in a severe crisis at the time.
Its domestic and international lenders were threatening to call on their loans, in part because of concerns about Eskom’s leadership and its reaction to allegations of corruption.
Eskom’s predicament threatened its very existence as a going concern, the country’s sovereign rating and the country’s ability to access much needed lines of credit.
Read 9 tweets
11 Aug
Chairperson,
 
The Commission has asked me to address several other matters, including allegations made by witnesses before the Commission. These are addressed in detail in the statement that I have submitted to the Commission.
There is one particular issue on which I wish to comment now since it has received widespread attention and is easily disposed of.
This relates to allegations made by Mr Brian Molefe and Mr Matshela Koko in relation to the stake that I held in the Optimum Mine prior to my entry into government and my later responsibilities with respect to the Eskom war room.
Read 16 tweets
11 Aug
The National Anti-Corruption Strategy, which was developed together with representatives from business, trade unions, academia and civil society, was approved by Cabinet in November 2020.
The Health Sector Anti-Corruption Forum, which was launched in September 2019, is a critical element of our fight against corruption because the health sector is uniquely vulnerable to corruption.
Legislative changes have been made, and others are underway, to fight corruption and reduce the likelihood of a recurrence of state capture.
Read 9 tweets
11 Aug
Government envisages a fundamental overhaul of the state-owned enterprises model that addresses not only the deficiencies that permitted widespread corruption, but that also enables these companies to effectively fulfil their social and economic mandates in a sustainable manner.
To this end, Cabinet has established the Presidential State-Owned Enterprises Council to reposition SOEs as effective instruments of economic development through stronger oversight and strategic management.
Government is working towards an SOE ownership model that clearly separates the responsibilities of ownership, policy development and regulation.
Read 7 tweets
11 Aug
It has therefore been a priority – and remains an ongoing task – of this administration to rebuild and restore the integrity of these institutions.
I therefore decided that the appointment of the new National Director of Public Prosecutions should be undertaken through a public and transparent process.
This was the first time an NDPP was appointed in such a manner, which did much to restore the confidence of South Africans in the institution. We have established the Investigating Directorate in the office of the NDPP to work on high profile complex cases of corruption & fraud.
Read 4 tweets

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