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I was paid very well in the private sector‚ Mboweni says at mini-budget press briefing

Tito Mboweni
Tito Mboweni
Image: Esa Alexander

Tito Mboweni has made light of his first medium term budget policy statement (MTBPS)‚ revealing he turned down the job finance minister job when President Cyril Ramaphosa first approached him.

Speaking to journalists at a press briefing following his MTBPS‚ delivered on Wednesday‚ Mboweni said he was doing very well in the private sector‚ where he was free of work from Thursday to Monday – and this while he was earning a lot of money.

But he said that because of Ramaphosa's powers of persuasion‚ he was left with no choice to reluctantly accept the difficult job of managing the country's troubled public purse.

"I actually did not want the job. I was doing very well in the private sector‚ thanks very much. [I was] more than well-paid; comfortable. I was free from Thursday to Monday‚" said Mboweni.

The former Reserve Bank governor added that he had free time to spend on his farm‚ leading to discovery that some of his staff were growing the green leaves that were recently the subject of a Constitutional Court ruling.

"I had more time with my lambs‚ dogs‚ chicken‚ cabbage‚ spinach. And there were other things that were growing in my farm; I chopped them before the Constitution Court decision. I should have allowed them to grow.

“They were not for my consumption. It was my care-taker who I found had been planting certain greenies which were not allowed at the time.

"So I was doing very well and the president approached me and asked if I can do this. I can tell you that I resisted to the best of my ability. But he used to be the secretary-general of the National Union of Mineworkers‚ so he out negotiated me‚” said Mboweni.

He turned to DA leader Mmusi Maimane‚ saying he reprimand him for departing from parliamentary conventions by heckling him during his first address to the house.

"I was a little bit disappointed by Mmusi Maimane because he kept on heckling me unnecessarily‚ so I will meet with the young man and ask him what was the problem. He needs to learn to respect old people but also it’s a maiden speech; you can clap but you can't heckle. These are basic Queensberry rules of politics.

"Even the EFF did not heckle. Do you know how well behaved they were? They never heckled; they sat there [and] sort of mildly clapped‚ which was okay. They upheld the highest standards of Queensberry rules. So it was fine‚ I really enjoyed myself."

Mboweni said he chose a wrong suit for the MTBPS in very hot Cape Town summer's day‚ which caused him to sweat a lot during his speech.

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