‘MY sacking from being the National Minister of Finance has been a blessing in disguise for me in more ways than one.
‘This has offered me an opportunity to be closer to with my family, who have missed me for almost 20 years of my public life.’
This sentiment was expressed by the former Minister of Finance Nhlanhla Nene.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Lutheran Church Fundraising Dinner held last week at Umfolozi Casino Resort, Nene said he still has a high regard for President Jacob Zuma as a leader of government.
The dinner was aimed at raising funds for the construction of Empangeni Circuit Hall for the Lutheran Church.
‘There is no bad blood between the two of us. I fully understood that I was serving the nation at the pleasure of the President.
‘It is his prerogative to deploy and redeploy members of the ANC. No one is permanent in this deployment.’
Nene was fired by President Zuma in December last year, in a move that received widespread criticism.
He was replaced as Finance Minister by Des van Rooyen, but Pravin Gordhan was brought in immediately to restore calm to the country’s economy.
At the time President Zuma said Nene was the preferred candidate to head the Africa regional centre of the new Brics Bank, a move which is yet to materialise.
Nene told the Zululand Observer how overwhelmed and humbled he was by the kind of support he received from all corners of the country and across the political spectrum, after his sacking.
‘The reaction from our people was incredible. It meant that i was doing something right, and that as a country we are a global player.
‘I just did my work without noticing that some people were monitoring my performance.’
When asked about his future, Nene said he was grateful to have been appointed to serve as non-executive director at Allan Gray, an international investment institution.
‘I’m looking forward to putting my strategic and leadership contribution to the board. I have been receiving offers from all over. I have also been appointed as Resident Advisor at Thebe Investment.
‘But most importantly I am working on a farming project that my wife Lisa is running at home in Kranskop.
‘I still remember that when I returned home after being shown the door in my previous position as Finance Minister, my daughter asked if I was going to stay at home permanently, because they have missed me,’ added Nene, who is the Chairperson of Ntunjambili Parish Council and a Member of a Prayer Men’s League of the Lutheran Church.
