| It is with great sadness that Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) learned of the passing of former minister and political veteran Pravin Gordhan on 13 September 2024. Pravin Gordhan was a great South African who always put the country first. From his days as an anti-Apartheid activist to serving the country in cabinet, he showed deep integrity and a clear vision of what civil service should be. He was a bulwark against State Capture and played a crucial role in stemming the looting of the state during the Zuma presidency. Gordhan was a committed patriot whose intentions were impeccable. He was always willing to talk and argue his point as well as listen to others. BLSA had many opportunities to engage with him throughout his career and even when we did not agree, we could never fault him on his drive to try and make South Africa succeed. “He was part of the crop of politicians who came into government really to serve South Africans and uplift the country,” says BLSA CEO Busi Mavuso. “You would not always agree with his views, but his intentions were unquestionable. He really served this country with distinction.” Among his many achievements, his work to build the South African Revenue Service (SARS) into a robust institution that regularly outperformed its budgets played a fundamental role in stabilising the country’s finances post Apartheid. It enabled the government to dedicate substantial resources to social services and support for the most vulnerable in our society. His time as SARS commissioner reflected his drive for professionalism and care for the welfare of the least well off. During State Capture, in December 2015, Gordhan was parachuted into the position of finance minister after the debacle appointment of Des van Rooyen by President Jacob Zuma was reversed. Gordhan had already served with distinction in the role after Trevor Manuel in 2009. Back in the finance minister role, Gordhan quickly stabilised sentiment about the stability of the country’s finances. He then worked hard to tackle widespread corruption and to stand in the way of efforts to force an unaffordable nuclear power station deal through. For this he became the target of a smear campaign that attacked his integrity and that of his family. This included allegations against him regarding his work at SARS, all of which came to nothing when tested in court. He bore these attacks with strength, his integrity shining through. The allegations were used as a pretext by Jacob Zuma to sack him as finance minister in 2017 and appoint Malusi Gigaba for another brief stint in yet another low point of the State Capture era. Under Cyril Ramaphosa’s government, Gordhan served as minister of public enterprises, a role which saw him grappling with the serious deterioration of both Eskom and Transnet. His efforts to turn things around were mixed – Eskom eventually was set on the right path, though Transnet struggled to stabilise leadership. His tendency to micromanage and directly influence appointments of senior leadership made it difficult for these organisations to stabilise their governance and turn around operations. Nevertheless, Gordhan was completely steadfast in routing out the corruption that had infested the state-owned enterprises, a key requirement for their recovery. He will go down in history as a highly capable and dedicated servant of South Africa, whose influence really did leave the country better off. Mavuso said: “You couldn’t fault him on his love for the country, his dedication to the country, and patriotism to the country. He was a public servant in the true sense of the word, and he did a stellar job in serving South Africa. His passing is a significant loss, as he served the nation to the best of his abilities. I don’t know if they still make public servants like him anymore.” BLSA extends its deepest condolences to his wife, daughters, family, friends, and comrades. |
BLSA mourns the death of Pravin Gordhan
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