Presidency rejects Cabinet ‘rumours and gossip’

“Ministers serve at the pleasure of the president. He has the prerogative to hire and fire ministers at any time,” Zuma’s spokesman Bongani Ngqulunga said in a statement. “Despite that, the presidency issued a statement recently communicating that there were no plans to change the Minister of Finance [Pravin Gordhan]. Information peddlers have also been spreading false rumours about changes in the department of trade and industry [dti]. A statement was also issued recently rebutting the dti rumours, he said. Zuma and government were focused on the goal of uniting business, labour, government, and the whole country behind the mission of strengthening the economy and reigniting growth during the current difficult economic climate. A lot of progress was being made in this regard and work would continue to fight the slow growth so that jobs could be saved and created, Ngqulunga said.