Gordhan hits out at persecution of 'heroes'

 23 May, 2016 

From left, Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas, Treasury Director-General Lungisa Fuzile, Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan and SARS commissioner Tom Moyane in Pretoria
Image by: IHSAAN HAFFEJEE

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has slammed the "persecution" of Ivan Pillay and Robert McBride, who sacrificed their "lives for the struggle".

Gordhan said there were "good people being persecuted at the moment".

"And that is wrong. It's wrong for [people] like Ivan Pillay, Robert McBride and many others to be persecuted after virtually offering their lives for the struggle, whatever the excuses are," he said at an ANC fund-raising dinner in Chatsworth, Durban, on Saturday night.

Last week former SARS deputy commissioner Pillay, suspended Independent Police Investigation Directorate head McBride and former Hawks head Anwa Dramat described their axings as political interference, saying they had been fired because they were investigating high-profile people - "individuals or entities with questionable relationships to those in public office" .

Gordhan last week called on South Africans to protect him and his staff at the Treasury against this onslaught.

Gordhan said he could not believe that he was being investigated and that he could be charged for something "I am completely innocent of".

This followed an exposé in the Sunday Times that his arrest was imminent for his role in setting up SARS' "rogue unit" when he was in charge.

According to weekend reports the Hawks have assured his lawyers that he will not be arrested.