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S. African presidency rebukes ANCYL's attack on deputy president

Xinhua, October 26, 2016 Adjust font size:

South African presidency on Wednesday rebuked the African National Congress Youth League's (ANCYL) attack on Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa for pledging his support for Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Comments attributed to ANCYL Secretary-General Njabulo Nzuza against Ramaphosa "are unfortunate and without substance", the Presidency said in a statement.

Nzuza on Tuesday labelled Ramaphosa as "an unprincipled man with double standards" in supporting Gordhan who has been summoned by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to appear in court next month to face controversial fraud charges.

Ramaphosa said earlier this week that the Gordhan case requires all South Africans to demonstrate unity in defence of constitutional values, the integrity of the legal system and the objective of setting South Africa on a path of sustainable and inclusive economic growth that will help overcome poverty, unemployment and inequality.

Ramaphosa also said he was fully cognizant of the role that the NPA has to play in building a democratic society, and in this regard, he respected the constitutional mandate that the NPA has to discharge without fear, favour or prejudice.

"We wish to reiterate that Deputy President Ramaphosa's statement on the matter of the Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan is consistent with official responses of President Jacob Zuma, the Cabinet of the Republic and the ruling party," said Ronnie Mamoepa, spokesperson for Ramaphosa.

The support of Ramaphosa on this issue is based on none other than the constitutional principle of presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a competent court of law, Mamoepa said.

"We therefore call upon commentators on this matter to familiarize themselves with the contents of Deputy President Ramaphosa's statement before offering commentary," said Mamoepa.

Ramaphosa stands by the legal principles enunciated in this statement, Mamoepa said.

Gordhan is accused by the NPA of breaking public finance rules by granting a colleague early retirement, costing the South African Revenue Service around 1.1 million rand (about 79,000 U.S. dollars).

Gordhan is also being investigated for his role a decade ago in setting up a surveillance unit at the tax department which is suspected of spying on politicians including President Jacob Zuma. Gordhan has described the investigation as "political mischief". Endit