Congress of the People (COPE) on Saturday urged civil society activists to read the restive political‚ economic and social climate correctly and to do what is necessary to avert the crisis from intensifying and plunging the country into chaos.

“Rating agencies who are presently in South Africa are carefully and minutely examining our credit worthiness as a nation and are trying to assess our ability to pull ourselves from the pit that we have fallen into by our own bootstraps‚” warned COPE spokesman Dennis BLoem.

He added that Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan “certainly needs all the visible and audible support he can get at present to persuade them to give us breathing space to remedy deficiencies”.

 “That he is immensely resented by the army of looters and tenderpreneurs in government is pretty obvious. That is a feeling emanating from the very top. Even so‚ he has taken the bull by the horn‚” Bloem said.

“Gordhan has sent a written request to Minister Michael Masutha to cancel the R378-million contract awarded by Correctional Services to Integriton Integrated Solutions and to institute disciplinary proceedings against Zach Modise‚ the Correctional Services Commissioner for awarding the above company the tender.

 “Furthermore‚ he has put restrictions on the same firm‚ part of the ANC’s Progressive Forum‚ from doing business with the state. This is as tough and dangerous as it gets. He needs massive public support. We in COPE are fully with him in this fight against corruption.”