Freedom Under Law CEO Nicole Fritz says Gordhan is under attack from opposition parties, because of his anti-corruption stance. Courtesy #DStv403
JOHANNESBURG - Freedom Under Law CEO, Nicole Fritz, says Public Enterprises Minister, Pravin Gordhan, is under attack from opposition parties, because of his stance against corruption.
Gordhan has been leading efforts to clean up parastatals.
Fritz is questioning the timing of the release of the Public Protector's report on Gordhan.
On Friday, Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane released a report finding Gordhan of wrongfully signing off former SARS official Ivan Pillay's early retirement, during his tenure at the revenue authority.
Mkhwebane wants the president to take disciplinary action against Gordhan.
WATCH: Mkhwebane finds Gordhan wrongly approved Pillay’s retirement
"It's in the interest of certain political parties in this country that he (Gordhan) be neutralized, that he be not allowed to occupy political power, that he not hold out this threat of accountability," Fritz said.
Fritz says we saw this in an attempt by the National Prosecuting Authority with "the help of the Hawks" to charge Gordhan.
In 2016, the NPA had to drop the same charges against Gordhan resulting in the NPA coming under fire from civil society and certain sectors of government for charging the then finance minister just days before the presentation of the mid-term budget.
"That was the most infamous episodes in the NPA's history where they had to climb down ultimately because there was not a shred of evidence to charge him of criminal wrongdoing," said Fritz.
"We now have this attempt to reheat this long coldish again, seemingly to impugn Minister Gordhan. Whether the Public Protector does that wittingly or it's just a matter of coincidence... certainly the impugning of Minister Gordhan is in the interest of certain powerful political parties's interest in this country," she said.
