Major news items in leading S. African media outlets on Thursday

The following are highlights of South African major media outlets on Thursday.

-- Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on Wednesday boldly defended the legality of the so-called rogue unit at the South African Revenue Service as he filed responses to some of the 27 questions posed by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, the Hawks.

However he said his knowledge of the "day-to-day operations" of the unit established to tackle organised crime and the illicit economy when he was still the tax agency's administrative head was "very limited". (Business Day)

-- Anti-crime unit the Hawks are refusing to publicly respond to Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's response to their questions in which he insists they have no reason to investigate him, and that their decision to send him questions with deadlines and "threats of retaliation" was unlawful. (The Star)

-- Public Enterprise Minister Lynne Brown has admitted receiving a call from a member of the Gupta family congratulating her on her appointment as minister after the 2014 general elections.

But she dismissed suggestions that she was beholden to the politically connected family, which has been accused by some ANC leaders of influencing key government decisions including the appointment of ministers and senior officials within the state owned enterprises. (Mail & Guardian) Endit