DA: Jacob Zuma's remarks are irresponsible
The Democratic Alliance has criticised President Jacob Zuma's remarks ahead of the Finance Minister's Budget Speech on Wednesday.
According to the DA's David Maynier, this would be the most important budget in more than 20 years and President Jacob Zuma's remarks - to try and defend his appointment of Des van Rooyen as Finance Minister last year - were unwise.
"With 48 hours to go before the most important budget in more than twenty years, it was extremely unwise for President Jacob Zuma to try and defend his appointment of Des van Rooyen as Finance Minister in 2015," Maynier said in a statement.
The president was speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Presidential Press Corps in Pretoria on Monday, where he touched on several topics including the budget speech.
President Zuma also recommitted himself to regular and candid briefings with the media and said that Des van Rooyen was the most qualified and capable person he has ever appointed to the Finance portfolio.
But the DA says the president not only undermines the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, by suggesting that he is second best, but made his job more difficult by undermining investor confidence ahead of the tabling of the budget.
The 2016 budget will be tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, 24 February.