She appeared to disagree with a proposal made at the ANC’s national policy conference last week, that the budget and resource allocation be made the responsibility of the Presidency. “There is no way in which a Presidency will have the capacity that Treasury has to design and present a budget. It’s just not possible, nor will it be a desirable approach,” Pandor said at a briefing about the ANC's policy conference that ended last week.

Another national executive committee member, Obed Bapela, said: “We looked at the Presidency as a strategic centre of power and the central driver of developmental state and agreed on core functions that should be included in the Presidency.”

Ahead of the conference, ANC head of policy, Jeff Radebe, had said there was a proposal for "the Presidency to be strengthened as the strategic centre of power in the state to drive the national development plan, resource allocation and enforcement".

Pandor, however, said the Presidency should not have the authority to override the Treasury’s budget.

"Treasury is the core institution of determining budget and then it is adopted by Cabinet. That will remain because that is what happens in any democracy and any suggestion that there will be a different approach, I think, is not what was intended," she said.

The Treasury’s independence and role were some of the contentious issues discussed at the policy conference. Its outcomes would be adopted at the party’s elective conference in December.

Some ANC structures and senior members had criticised the Treasury’s perceived powers. Some had publicly claimed it was an obstacle to radical economic transformation. When President Jacob Zuma reshuffled his Cabinet in March, he sacked finance minister Pravin Gordhan and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas. In some quarters it was seen as Zuma’s attempt to take control of the Treasury.

News24