Photo: GCIS / Flickr
Photo: GCIS / Flickr
The fallout from Tito Mboweni’s weekend Twitter rant has been positively nuclear – but will it be enough to cost the finance minister his job? Alliance partners Cosatu have told Cyril Ramaphosa to consider ‘swinging the axe’ while reviewing Mboweni’s position within the ANC, branding him a liability in the process.
South Africa and Zambia at loggerheads
Their harsh words come after Tito Mboweni almost caused a severe diplomatic incident. The rogue Cabinet member suggested that South Africa could ‘mobilise its forces’ to intervene in Zambia after their government dismissed the Central Bank Governor, during a controversial reshuffle.
Mboweni’s language prompted a fierce response, and he was officially reprimanded by Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday. But does this punishment go far enough? Cosatu reckons that a line has to be drawn in the sand.
Cosatu hammers Tito Mboweni for ‘being a liability’
The trade union group lashed out at the minister’s “unacceptable behaviour”, sharing their concerns that this particular outburst had now dragged another country into the mix – Cosatu also threw the gauntlet down for the president:
“He’s taken his unacceptable behaviour beyond South African borders. This is something that is not acceptable. We hope President Cyril Ramaphosa will show that the center is still holding by putting him in his place and swing the big axe if necessary. This behaviour was nothing new. Tito Mboweni is a liability.”
Cosatu statement on Tito Mboweni’s Zambia Tweets, from spokesperson Sizwe Pamla
What did Tito Mboweni Tweet about Zambia?
As part of the reprimand, Tito Mboweni has been made to delete his contentious Tweets – one of which threatened to ‘bring hell’ to Zambia due to their administrative changes. It’s not the first time Tito’s Tweets have landed him in trouble, and one suspects this will not be the last, even if a digital detox is on the horizon.
The President of the RSA, H.E @CyrilRamaphosa, has strongly reprimanded the Minister of Finance, Mr Tito Mboweni, following comments made by the Minister on social media regarding the removal of Zambia’s Central Bank Governor by President Edgar Lungu. https://t.co/BO0PyzW9CS
— Presidency | South Africa ?? (@PresidencyZA) August 24, 2020
