Johannesburg - ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte says the ANC's alliance partners were consulted about appointing Tito Mboweni as the finance minister following Nhlanhla Nene's resignation.
Duarte told the media at a briefing following President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement regarding Nene's resignation, that the SACP and Cosatu had been consulted about the decision surrounding Mboweni's appointment.
She said Nene had a made a decision that sits well with him and the party appreciates his decision.
Nene resigned on Tuesday following pressure for him to resign regarding his testimony at the Zondo commission. The former minister told the inquiry that he had visited the Gupta family’s Sahara Computer offices and their Saxonwold residence after he was invited to do so by Ajay Gupta. Several visits took place between 2010 and 2014 when he was deputy minister and after he was first appointed as finance minister.
This was contrary to his statements on eNCA, shortly after his removal in 2015, that he had only met the Guptas at government functions.
Duarte said Nene had not spoken to the party on whether he will resign as an ANC member of Parliament.
She said the party welcomes Mboweni's appointment as he had played a crucial role in the party's economic transformation.
Duarte also said she was willing to appear at the state capture inquiry to discuss the ANC's role in the establishment of the Gupta-owned ANN7 and The New Age newspaper.
The party has been mentioned various times at the inquiry, including in the testimony of the country's big four banks who detailed how ANC officials, including Duarte, attempted to convince the banks to reverse their decision to close Gupta related bank accounts in 2016.
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