STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF FINANCE
Over the past few weeks, I have worked with the National Treasury to deliver a Budget that reinforces South Africa’s fiscal credibility and outlines the measures we will take to improve economic growth and tackle our challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment. In the current climate of uncertainty in the global and domestic economy, it is necessary that we strengthen business and investor confidence so that the poor do not suffer as a result of our failure to act coherently in matters of national interest, as business, labour and government.
I am grateful for the support I have now received from the ANC and its determination to ensure that vital state institutions such as the Treasury and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) are not adversely affected by the kind of actions we’ve seen in the last week.
There is a group of people that are not interested in the economic stability of this country and the welfare of its people. It seems they are interested in disrupting institutions and destroying reputations.
I want to publicly state my version of events in relation to a letter I received from the Hawks on Thursday 18 February 2016, informing me that I must answer three pages of questions, keep the letter confidential and not interfere with “state witnesses”, without indicating who such witnesses are. I believe this was meant to intimidate and distract us from the work that we had to do to prepare the 2016 Budget (see report).
I did not make any public statements on the Hawks letter, deliberately. My intention was to ensure that nothing would jeopardise government’s reaction to the Budget and our efforts to create a better climate for investors.