PRETORIA, South Africa — South Africa faced political and financial turmoil on Friday after President Jacob Zuma fired the finance minister in a Cabinet reshuffle, intensifying a rift in the party that took power after the 1994 end of white minority rule as well as concerns about corruption at top levels of government.

The currency slipped, and people protested outside Parliament and the national treasury against the dismissal of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, the widely respected steward of one of Africa’s biggest economies and a bulwark against perceived efforts to raid state coffers for personal gain.

The reshuffle of 10 of the country’s 35 ministers was announced after midnight in a move that likely was designed to soften negative impact on markets but also deepened intrigue and shock in South Africa, whose pride in its democratic credentials, forged in the struggle against apartheid, has been diminished over the years by scandals around Zuma.

The departure of Gordhan exposed tensions within the ruling African National Congress party, which lost control of key metropolitan areas in local elections last year, partly because of dissatisfaction with Zuma.

Gordhan was replaced by Malusi Gigaba, a former home affairs minister and former head of the ruling party’s youth league.

Associated Press