Gordhan and three former South African Revenue Services (Sars) officials have been identified as suspects in an investigation into the nature and conduct of a now disbanded Sars investigation unit.
He refused to present himself at the Hawks offices for a warning statement as per the unit’s instruction.
In a letter, the academics noted that since early this year, Gordhan has been subjected to an unrelenting attack from the Hawks and want the president to intervene.
One of the academics, Lumkile Mondi, says they are just concerned about what will happen to the economy if the spat between the Hawks and the minister continues.
