JOHANNESBURG (AP) - South Africa's president has replaced his finance minister in an expected move that had spooked investors this week and sent the currency tumbling.
President Jacob Zuma's replacement of Pravin Gordhan, announced early Friday, comes as part of a cabinet shuffle that changes 10 of the country's 35 ministers.
Pressure has been growing on Zuma to step down after he recalled Gordhan, who has a strong reputation as a bulwark against corruption, from a trade trip in London earlier this week. The president's recall of Gordhan caused South Africa's rand to lose nearly 5 percent, another blow to Africa's most industrialized economy that has stalled amid high unemployment.
Frustration has been growing with Zuma after numerous allegations of corruption. South Africa's two main opposition parties took aim at the president on Thursday, with one appealing to the highest court to order impeachment proceedings and the other announcing it will launch a vote of no confidence.
On Wednesday, Gordhan inspired a standing ovation at the funeral of one of South Africa's leading anti-apartheid activists as longtime leaders of the ruling African National Congress, the country's former liberation movement, called out for Zuma to step down.
Zuma has replaced Gordhan as finance minister with Malusi Gigaba, a statement from the president's office said. Gigaba is a former minister of home affairs.
The cabinet shuffle comes as the calls for Zuma to step down grow.
The Economic Freedom Fighters opposition party on Thursday applied to the country's highest court to order parliament to begin impeachment proceedings against the president for lying to the legislative body.
The EFF called it "a last resort" after parliament, which is dominated by Zuma's ruling African National Congress (ANC), had failed in its duty to hold the president accountable, party leader Julius Malema said.
Zuma in November survived an attempt by senior party members to oust him as president.
Also on Thursday, the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, said it would launch a vote of no confidence in Zuma in parliament.