COSATU on the Hawks’s charges against Minister Pravin Gordhan

11 October 2016

The Congress of South African Trade Unions has noted the decision by the Hawks to issue the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, and two former Sars commissioners with summons for fraud. This whole process has been badly managed by the Hawks and it has impacted negatively on our image as a country and ultimately our economy. The Minister is not above the law and he needs to be held accountable if he is found to have acted outside the parameters of the law. The Hawks have not done themselves or the country any favours by treating the Minister in charge of the National Treasury like a common criminal, during a period of an economic crisis.

We are happy that the minister at long last has been afforded an opportunity to state his side of the case, in-front of the judge, and prove his innocence. We hope that this will bring about a final resolution of this matter. We have confidence in our country’s judicial system and their capacity to dispense justice in a fair manner. This will hopefully also put to bed the conspiracy theories and speculations that have unsettled the Treasury department and the nation at large.

Issued by Sizwe Pamla, National Spokesperson, COSATU, 11 October 2016