Apartheid activist and former long-serving minister in
multiple portfolios within the South African government, Pravin Gordhan, has
died at the age of 75, following a period of illness.
According to a statement by presidential spokesperson,
Vincent Magwenya, Gordhan served as Minister of Finance from 2009 until
2014 and again from 2015 until 2017.
“He also served as Minister of Cooperative Governance and
Traditional Affairs from 2014 until 2015, and as Minister of Public Enterprises
from February 2018 until his March 2024 announcement of planned retirement.
“Mr Gordhan was appointed as Commissioner of the South
African Revenue Service in 1999, after a period as Deputy Commissioner,” the
statement read.
The statement added: “His contribution to the public sector
arose from his involvement in the anti-apartheid struggle, including his role
in student and civic movements in the 1970s and ‘80s, as an executive member of
the Natal Indian Congress and military military operative in the armed wing of
the African National Congress.
“During South Africa’s transition to democracy and in the
early years of the new dispensation, Mr Gordhan played a leading role in the
Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) multi-party dialogue and was
later appointed as Chairperson of the Parliamentary Constitutional Committee.”
The statement further added that in the early 1980s, his
activism led to his dismissal from the hospital, as well as detention by police
and banning orders.
President Ramaphosa 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 personal 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.
“In the latter years of this service to the nation, and as a
beacon of our fight against corruption, Pravin Gordhan stood up to derision and
threats emanating from some in our nation who were scorched by his insistence
that justice be dispensed against those who sought to undermine our democracy
and raid our public resources and assets.
“During his decades of revolutionary dedication to making
South Africa a better place, Pravin Gordhan and his family were deprived of
much needed and deserved time together.
“As we mourn his passing, we remain grateful for his life of
sacrifice and service and his sustained striving for the realisation of the
vision and dictates of our Constitution.
“We carry his family in our thoughts and prayers at this
time.”
