South Africa's deputy president says time to rebuild confidence in country

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - The dropping of fraud charges against South Africa's finance minister Pravin Gordhan this week provides a chance to rebuild confidence in Africa's most industrialized economy, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa told parliament on Wednesday. Gordhan, popular in financial markets, was due in court this week on charges he fraudulently approved early retirement for a deputy tax commissioner but prosecutors dropped the case because new evidence suggested he had not acted unlawfully. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Ed Stoddard and)