The opposition DA says minister announced that the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, the Minister of Labour, Mildred Olifant, and the Minister of Mineral Resources, Mosebenzi Zwane, would be engaging with South African banks to find a ‘lasting solution’ to the dispute with Oakbay Investments (Pty) Ltd, a company controlled by the Guptas.
The decision backfired because it created the impression that government ministers would be acting as heavy weight political battering rams for the Guptas in their battle with the banks.
However, since then:
• Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, has done his best to put political distance between himself and the meetings with the banks; and
• Minister of Mineral Resources, Mosebenzi Zwane, reportedly had the door slammed in his face by Absa Bank.
Meanwhile the Minister of Labour, Mildred Oliphant, admitted that certain ministers had in fact met with the Banks.
The DA now says it is not acceptable that ministers are secretly meeting with banks. It is therefor time that the minister make a public statement and tell the South African public:
• the name of the bank and the date on which the meeting took place;
• the names and designations of the ministers present at the meeting;
• the names and designations of the employees of the banks present at the meeting; and
• the details of any agreements and/or outcomes of the meeting.
“In the end, the ministers should not be interfering in business decisions taken by Banks and this matter is best left to the South African Reserve Bank which is responsible for the regulation of the banking industry in South Africa,” the DA says in a statement.
