5 important things happening in South Africa today

Here’s what is happening in and affecting South Africa today:

• The ANC is becoming increasingly more divided, with finance minister Pravin Gordhan’s fate hanging in the balance. Various factions within the ruling party are publicly butting heads over the minister, with the Youth League calling for him to be axed, and the Gauteng ANC supporting him fully. The party will reportedly address Gordhan’s future at an upcoming NEC meeting.

• Questions are being raised at former Eskom boss Brian Molefe’s nomination to Parliament. Weekend reports quoted North West ANC members as saying they had no idea he was going to be nominated, and has never been an active politician in the province – while provincial leaders have defended the decision to appoint him. It has been speculated that Molefe has been primed for a role in National Treasury.

• Sticking with divisions in the ANC, former party treasurer Matthews Phosa has spoken out against the party, saying that it will have to perform a miracle to get more than 50% of the vote in 2019. The veteran politician rebuked the party, saying he would not be buried with leaders who put their own interests above those of the people of the country. He said that president Jacob Zuma could be the chief architect of the destruction of South Africa.

• New reports allege that the animosity between the Gupta family and the Oppenheimers, who own the luxury Fireblade airport terminal, started after the Guptas allegedly tried to remove a suitcase full of ‘suspicious items’ – believed to be diamonds – from the country, when the family ‘fled’ last year. While not named in the report, flight records show the incidence happened in close proximity to the family’s departure.

• South Africa’s rand retreated on Friday as the dollar gained, following a rally that had lifted the South African currency to a 17-month high. Stocks followed global markets down. On Monday the rand was trading at R13.11 to the dollar, R16.29 to the pound and R13.91 to the euro.