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Van Rooyen to address the media

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Newly appointed Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister David van Rooyen will address the media for the first time since he was shifted from the finance portfolio four days after he was appointed.

Last week Wednesday, President Jacob Zuma announced in a statement that he was replacing Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene with Van Rooyen, who was an ANC MP.

The news saw the rand plummet, escalating fears that the country was heading for “junk” status.

The news sent shockwaves through the country, which saw #ZumaMustFall start to trend on social media.

Van Rooyen was sworn in as finance minister during a ceremony at the Union Buildings the following day.

Addressing the media after the ceremony, the new minister said he was aware he was facing a “colossal” assignment in his new job.

“I must undertake in front of you, and the nation, that I will… ensure every policy is directed at creating favourable investment conditions, leading to the development of South Africa for all South Africans – not for the few,” he said at the time.

Van Rooyen was the whip of the standing committee on finance and whip of the economic transformation cluster.

He was also the former mayor of Merafong Municipality in Gauteng and former North West provincial chairperson of the SA Local Government Association.

Questions have been raised about Van Rooyen’s track record as mayor.

Then on Sunday, two days after his swearing in, Van Rooyen was replaced by Pravin Gordhan as finance minister and moved to Cogta.

Gordhan had been finance minister in Zuma’s previous administration.

Van Rooyen has become the country’s shortest serving finance minister which saw Twitter users use the opportunity to joke about his four-day tenure in the position. News24


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