Pravin Gordhan dies of cancer
Veteran cabinet minister Pravin Gordhan has died in hospital after "a short, courageous battle with cancer". He was 75.
The family announced on Friday he was "surrounded by his family, closest friends and his lifelong comrades in the liberation struggle" when he passed away in the early hours this morning.
He is survived by his wife Vanitha and their daughters Anisha and Priyesha.
Gordhan retired from politics after this year’s general elections to spend time with his family.
Bidding those closest to him farewell, the family statement said he was emphatic: "I have no regrets. We have made our contribution."
Born Pravin Jamnadas Gordhan on April 12 1949, he grew up in Durban, Kwazulu-Natal. He qualified as a pharmacist at the University of Durban-Westville and completed a postgraduate diploma in economics at the London School of Economics.
From the 1970s, he was an active member of the ANC/SACP underground movement and was detained three times by the apartheid government. In 1981 he was held in solitary confinement for 160 days.
He was involved in the Codesa multi-party dialogue which led to the formation of the first democratic government and co-chairperson of the Transitional Executive Council which prepared the country for the 1994 elections.
Gordhan served as the minister of public enterprises and of cooperative governance. In dramatic fashion, he was dismissed as finance minister after running afoul of former president Jacob Zuma. While commissioner of the South African Revenue Service, he was praised for ensuring improved revenue collection while transforming the entity.
Delivering the public enterprises budget vote in 2022, he referenced his struggle years while speaking of the state capture era, saying: "Nothing can destroy the might of an organised people driven by a clear vision and who take their destiny into their own hands and change the course of history.
"The acts of the greedy, the corrupt, the bully, the counter-revolutionary set back our progress as a democracy and stop us from becoming a caring nation. While they sit back to enjoy their spoils, the damage they cause is borne by our communities – by workers, by small businesses, by the unemployed and youth. Now is the time for all of us to join the ranks of those who want to build a better future and better institutions and not just point fingers among us. Strong, organised communities are fundamental to the security of our country’s infrastructure."
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