ROB DAVIES
Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies has called the Deputy Minister of Finance Mcebisi Jonas a man of “integrity and honesty”‚ who acts in the best interests of the country.
Questioned about his view on the recent political crisis prompted by Jonas’s statement on Wednesday that the Gupta family had offered him the job of finance minister to replace the former minister Nhlanhla Nene‚ Davies said he had known Jonas for a number of years when Jonas was MEC for economic development in the Eastern Cape‚ and in his current position.
“I know him as a man of honesty and integrity. I know him as a man of very significant commitment to the well-being of this country and to ensuring that the main principles of the national liberation movement — of which we are both members — are at the heart of the way he conducts himself.”
Davies’s endorsement flies in the face of the Guptas denial of Jonas’s claims‚ and their demand that he make them under oath.
Davies made the comments at a media conference with World Trade Organisation director-general Roberto Azevedo‚ who is visiting SA and other African countries.
Minister of tourism Derek Hanekom had similar praise for Jonas.
Jonas will miss President Jacob Zuma’s question and answer session in Parliament on Thursday afternoon. He was in East London on Thursday where he was expected to meet some ANC leaders in the province.
Jonas‚ who put the final nail in the Guptas’ coffin on Wednesday by confirming reports that the family offered him the position of minister of finance to replace Nhlanhla Nene‚ also attended the Mercedes-Benz South Africa’s (MBSA) annual business results‚ as well as the opening of the Mercedes-Benz Learning Academy.
He was seen with Premier Phumulo Masualle at the event. Jonas was seen laughing and greeting journalists at the event‚ but was tight-lipped about the Gupta saga.
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