President Cyril Ramaphosa and late friend former cabinet minister Pravin Gordhan.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the vilification of former cabinet minister Pravin Gordhan following his efforts of fighting corruption and state capture.
Ramaphosa who was addressing mourners who gathered at the Durban ICC on Thursday to bid farewell to the late struggle stalwart who was hailed by all speakers as a man of honour who dedicated his life to contribute positively my emancipating the public from all forms of depression to the best of his ability.
He said such tendencies of vilification aimed at the late veteran politician Gordhan must never be repeated because they represented one of the most shameful episodes in the country and moral bankruptcy.
“Let it never be that in the robust festival of ideas and vibrant public space that is the hallmark of our democracy we stoop so low to slander and be so dismissive of people who stand for the truth. Let it never be that in trying to portray ourselves as the liberators we come to sound like the oppressor,” President Ramaphosa said.
“As many others looked away, his revolutionary consciousness demanded no less of him than to speak out and speak out he did. For him it was no different to when he joined the struggle against apartheid - it was a choice between what was right and what was wrong. Standing with the people or standing against the people, there was never any doubt where Pravin Gordhan stood.”
Ramaphosa further said: "We have lost an outstanding leader whose unassuming persona belied the depth of intellect, integrity, and energy with which he undertook his activism, his duty as a parliamentarian, and his roles as a member of Cabinet. Pravin Gordhan’s sacrifices and his endeavours and achievements in various sectors of our society endowed him with the insights, empathy and resilience that fuelled his service to the nation.”
Gordhan’s daughter Anisha Gordhan told her father’s comrades who attended the funeral that her family was not spared from the assaults.
“Our personal safety was compromised, smear campaigns were designed by Bell Pottinger, bank accounts in Canada were created and we were discredited as a family. All of this ultimately led to many comrades and friends distancing themselves from my father and our family, but despite this he remained unshaken and determined,” she said.
Cosatu President Zingiswa Losi who also honoured the late stalwart of the liberation said
Gordhan also played a vital role during the global economic crisis in 2008 by , stabilising the country’s economy and saving millions of jobs.
She also applauded Gordhan for her militancy during the state capture. ‘’As South Africa faced corruption and state capture in the following decade, Gordhan remained steadfast in his defence of the Constitution and the public good.
"When some entrusted to lead chose to betray the nation, comrade PG stood up and defied the forces of state capture. No sober person can doubt the integrity, courage, and commitment that guided PG. He did not seek popularity; he sought to defend the Constitution and serve the people,” said Losi.
On 10 September 2024, Gordhan's family announced that he was admitted to hospital. On 12 September 2024, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula held a press conference to discuss Gordhan's ill-health, saying that he was in a "critical condition" and receiving the best care in hospital. Gordan died in the early hours of Friday, 13 September 2024.
Gordhan was born on 12 April 1949 in Durban and matriculated from Sastri College in 1967.
In 1973 he graduated from the University of Durban Westville with a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree. He completed his pharmacy internship at King Edward VIII Hospital in 1974 and worked there until 1981
Gordhan was a politician and anti-apartheid activist who held various ministerial posts in the Cabinet of South Africa. He served as Minister of Finance from 2009 until 2014 and again from 2015 until 2017, as Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2014 until 2015, and as Minister of Public Enterprises from February 2018 until June 2024, when the ministry was abolished, along with the Department of Public Enterprises, following the 2024 general elections.
Gordhan became associated with members of the Natal Indian Congress (NIC). In 1971 and was elected to its executive council in 1974. During the 1970s, Gordhan helped establish grassroots organisations that became involved in underground activities and associated with the African National Congress (ANC) and later the South African Communist Party (SACP).
In 1981 the Natal Provincial Administration dismissed Gordhan from King Edward VIII Hospital for his political activities while he was in detention. He was released from jail in 1982 and received banning orders effective until June 1983. Gordhan attended the launch of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Cape Town in 1983 where it also NIC became an affiliated organisation.
Gordhan attended the preparatory meeting for the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) in 1991 as a joint NIC/Transvaal Indian Congress (TIC) representative and was appointed NIC/TIC delegate to the steering committee responsible for organising CODESA 1. In 1993 he was appointed to the panel of chairpersons on the planning committee of the multi-party negotiation process.
R.I.P son of the revolutionary soil former cabinet minister Pravin Gordhan.
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