Mayor to MP to Minister: new Finance Minister David Van Rooyen
'Who is David Van Rooyen?' is a question that started swirling around when President Jacob Zuma first announced the former Executive Mayor of Merafong Municipality as Nhlanhla Nene's successor as the political head of The National Treasury.
President Zuma announces that he is sacking Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene.
He says that Nene has done a good job, nonetheless and will be deployed to another strategic area.
The Rand falls to just over R15 to the US Dollar thereafter.
The president announces that Member of Parliament David van Rooyen has been deployed to replace Nene.
The nation-wide 'thump' heard all over Mzantsi as many Twitter followers fell off their proverbial chairs was tightly linked to the question 'Who is David van Rooyen?'
Listed as "David Douglas Des Van Rooyen" on citizen engagement and accountability website People's Assembly, his profile reads as follows:
- Mr Van Rooyen got involved in politics in the mid - 1980s
- Was an MK operative and soldier, and held various leadership positions in COSAS, Khutsong Student Congress, UDF Representative, NUM Member
- Also held a number of leadership positions in the ANC from 1994 to 2007
- EDUCATION: advance Business Management Diploma | Diploma in Municipal Governance | certificate in Municipal Governance | certificate in Councillor Development | certificate in Municipal Finance | certificate in Economic & Public Finance | Masters Degree in Public Development and Management | the University of London conferred a MSc Finance (Economic Policy) to Mr Van Rooyen on 30 July 2014 | recently acquired a certificate in Investment analysis and Portfolio management from UNISA
- PERSONAL INTERESTS: he has personal interests in soccer, golf, tennis, reading and hunting. Source: (anc.org.za)
Van Rooyen was recently the whip of the Finance portfolio committee in Parliament and the North West head of Salga (South African Local Government Association).
Residents of Merafong City Local Municipality in the Gauteng West Rand might have a more tainted memory of Van Rooyen during his tenure as mayor in 2009. His home was burnt down and he was chased out of the township after he was accused of trying to move Merafong from Gauteng to the North West.
Watch: President Jacob Zuma announcing David Van Rooyen as the new Finance Minister