Minister Gordhan still needs to answer key questions around Mo Shaik’s appointment to DBSA

Tim Harris, Shadow Minister of Finance
12 August 2012

The DA welcomes Minister Pravin Gordhan’s willingness to answer questions around the appointment of Mo Shaik to a senior position at the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA). We believe, however, that further questions need answering before South Africans will be convinced that Mr Shaik was not “deployed” on political grounds.

As the shareholder’s representative at the Bank, Minister Gordhan has a responsibility to ensure that the best person for the job has been appointed. In addition to the questions I have already posed to him, I will be asking:

• Why was the position not externally advertised?
• How did the headhunters identify the nine individuals referred to in the Minister’s statement?
• Why were the interviews conducted confidentially?
• Who sat on the sub-committee to choose the four candidates?
• What course did Mr Shaik take at Harvard?
• How does a short course at Harvard prepare Mr Shaik for the position as CEO of the Development Bank International (DBI)?
• How could the state justify sending Mr Shaik on a course costing anywhere between R300 000 and R500 0000 unless the intention was to deploy him to another position?

It is not obvious that Mr Shaik has the business experience and qualifications for this important finance job, even after a short course at Harvard. The Finance Minister needs to assure South Africa that that due process was followed and the best individual for the job was appointed.