Cape Town - Deputy Minister of Finance Mondli Gungubele said on Thursday that President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address (SONA) will announce how government will deal with corruption.
This as Gungubele gave an impromptu media briefing after he and his wife were mobbed by journalists on the red carpet outside Parliament as he was making his way to SONA.
"It's given [that he will speak about corruption]. We would not have appointed him as president if he was not going to speak about that," Gungubele said.
"The president is here to announce a total programme that takes care of the total aspect of South African humanity. The issue of infrastructure at municipalities, the issue of infrastructure at national level, unemployment, inequality, capacity of the state, and so on."
Gungubele is weathering a storm after calls mounted that he should resign from his portfolio at the National Treasury after being implicated in a series of emails on alleged corrupt activities involving a number of individuals serving at the Public Investment Corporation (PIC).
The deputy finance minister automatically serves as chairperson of the board of the PIC.
Video: Siphelele Dludla/African News Agency/ANA
Gungubele also declined to be drawn into commenting on the absence of former President Jacob Zuma who will not be attending the SONA.
"I prefer to deal with the president who is leading the country, I don't want to deal with peripheral issues. I'm here under the leadership of Cyril Ramaphosa, the head of the State currently. I don't want to speak about comrade Zuma or any other former president."
Ramaphosa will deliver his second SONA since he took over as president. His address is expected to start at 7pm.