Ramaphosa's application to suspend Mkhwebane's remedial action against Gordhan moved to Thursday

The much-awaited court hearing of an urgent application lodged by President Cyril Ramaphosa to have the implementation of remedial action ordered by public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane against public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan  suspended will now be heard on Thursday.

Mkhwebane had found Gordhan guilty of maladministration in approving the payment of former SARS deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay's early pension with full benefits and his subsequent reappointment.

The hearing was scheduled to be heard on Tuesday in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria but after legal representatives of Mkhwebane and Ramaphosa met in the chambers in the morning, a new date was set.

All parties agreed on Thursday as a judge was yet to be assigned to the matter and they were expected to file heads of arguments on Wednesday.

Ramaphosa's spokesperson Khusela Diko said: "It's an administrative matter, there's nothing untoward, the president will be represented on Thursday after the deputy judge president has appointed a judge."

Mkhwebane's spokesperson Oupa Segalwe said the public protector was now focusing on other "thousands upon thousands" of matters from ordinary South Africans before her office.

Mkhwebane suffered another blow in court on Monday after her remedial actions against Gordhan in her second report affecting the minister were described as "nonsensical, vague, contradictory and inexplicable". Judge Sulet Potterill granted  Gordhan the interdict to suspend Mkhwebane's remedial action.