Pravin Gordhan, who held three positions in South Africa’s cabinet and won plaudits for standing up to Jacob Zuma during his scandal-marred presidency, has died. He was 75.
Gordhan died in hospital in the early hours of Friday morning after battling cancer, his family said in an emailed statement.
A veteran anti-apartheid activist and high-ranking member of the African National Congress, Gordhan made a name for himself within government by leading an overhaul of the national tax agency years before serving under Zuma.
Recruited to the post in 1999 by then-Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, Gordhan served as commissioner of the South African Revenue Service for a decade and transformed it into a world-class organization, overhauling its systems and recruiting a new team of highly skilled personnel. Government revenue more than tripled during his tenure as an additional 1.5 million people were drawn into the tax net.
Finance Minister
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Zuma was appointed president in 2009—weeks after prosecutors dropped charges against him of taking bribes from arms dealers—and tapped Gordhan to replace Manuel as finance minister. Gordhan steered the economy through the aftermath of the global financial crisis, and the economy grew by an average of about 1.8% annually during the five years he held the post.
After winning a second term in 2014, Zuma assigned the finance portfolio to Nhlanhla Nene and named Gordhan as cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister. Linked to a succession of scandals, Zuma in 2015 fired Nene and replaced him with a little-known lawmaker, David van Rooyen.
The move triggered a selloff in the rand and the nation’s bonds, and business and ruling-party leaders pressured Zuma to reconsider. Four days later, he announced that Gordhan and Van Rooyen would swap portfolios.
But Zuma repeatedly undermined Gordhan’s authority, describing Van Rooyen as the most qualified finance minister he’d ever appointed and rebuffing Gordhan’s request to fire tax chief Tom Moyane for insubordination. Gordhan defied Zuma’s attempts to open the spending taps and finance a nuclear-expansion program, presenting a national budget that proposed spending curbs and higher taxes.
Fraud charges
In 2016, prosecutors said Gordhan would face two fraud charges for illegally approving the early retirement of a subordinate, resulting in 1.1 million rand ($61,000) of wasteful expenditure. Civil-rights groups, the heads of some of South Africa’s biggest companies and scores of ANC leaders rallied to Gordhan’s defense, and the case was dropped due to a lack of evidence.
Gordhan said he’d been the victim of “persecution and political mischief” driven by “rent-seekers” intent on accessing state coffers.
In March 2017, Gordhan flew to London to promote South Africa as an investment destination, and upon his arrival he received a message from Zuma’s office instructing him to return home. He was fired shortly thereafter, part of a major cabinet reshuffle that saw Zuma appoint loyalists to key posts.
Zuma stood down as ANC leader in December 2017 and the ANC forced him to quit as president two months later to stem a loss of electoral support. A judicial commission of inquiry found that state entities were systematically looted during Zuma’s almost nine-year tenure with his tacit consent.
Rolling blackouts
Cyril Ramaphosa, who succeeded Zuma, named Gordhan as his public enterprises minister and tasked him with turning around mismanaged, cash-strapped state companies. While their boards and management teams were overhauled, they continued to underperform, resulting in the country being subjected to rolling power blackouts and logistics snarlups that hamstrung the economy.
Pravin Jamnadas Gordhan was born on April 12, 1949, in the eastern port city of Durban, the son of traders who had immigrated to South Africa from India in the 1920s.
He became immersed in the struggle against White-minority rule while studying pharmacy and was detained three times for his political activism, enduring torture at the hands of the police. He played a key role in negotiating a peaceful end to apartheid and became a lawmaker for the party after the nation’s first multiracial elections in 1994.
Gordhan announced his retirement ahead of May 2024 elections and had kept a low profile since then. He had one daughter with his wife, Vanitha, and another daughter from a previous relationship.
Pravin Gordhan net worth
Pravin Gordhan: A Lifetime of Public Service and Defiance in the Face of Corruption
South Africa is mourning the loss of Pravin Gordhan, a veteran anti-apartheid activist and high-ranking member of the African National Congress (ANC), who passed away on Friday at the age of 75 after battling cancer [[2]]. Gordhan’s legacy is marked by his unwavering commitment to public service and his unrelenting stand against corruption, particularly during his tenure as Finance Minister under the scandal-marred presidency of Jacob Zuma.
Early Life and Career
Born on April 12, 1949, in Durban, South Africa, Gordhan was the son of Indian immigrants who arrived in the country in the 1920s. He began his career as an anti-apartheid activist, eventually becoming a high-ranking member of the ANC.
South African Revenue Service Commissioner
In 1999, Gordhan was recruited by then-Finance Minister Trevor Manuel to lead an overhaul of the national tax agency, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) [[1]]. During his decade-long tenure as Commissioner, Gordhan transformed SARS into a world-class organization, overhauling its systems and recruiting a new team of highly skilled personnel. Government revenue more than tripled during his tenure, with an additional 1.5 million people drawn into the tax net.
Finance Minister
In 2009, Zuma appointed Gordhan as Finance Minister, a position he held for five years. During this time, Gordhan steered the economy through the aftermath of the global financial crisis, with the economy growing at an average annual rate of 1.8%. However, his tenure was marked by repeated clashes with Zuma, who sought to undermine his authority and push for reckless spending and corruption.
Fraud Charges and Defiance
In 2016, Gordhan faced two fraud charges for allegedly illegally approving the early retirement of a subordinate, resulting in 1.1 million rand ($61,000) of wasteful expenditure. The charges were widely seen as politically motivated, and Gordhan was eventually cleared due to a lack of evidence. He defiantly described the charges as “persecution and political mischief” driven by “rent-seekers” intent on accessing state coffers.
Public Enterprises Minister and Legacy
In 2017, Cyril Ramaphosa, who succeeded Zuma, appointed Gordhan as Public Enterprises Minister, tasked with turning around mismanaged, cash-strapped state companies. While their boards and management teams were overhauled, they continued to underperform, resulting in rolling power blackouts and logistics snarl-ups that hamstrung the economy.
Throughout his career, Gordhan was known for his unwavering commitment to public service and his unrelenting stand against corruption. His legacy serves as a testament to the importance of principled leadership and the need for accountability in governance.
In a statement, President Cyril Ramaphosa mourned
Pravin Gordhan: A Veteran Anti-Apartheid Activist and Respected Cabinet Minister Passes Away
Pravin Gordhan, a stalwart of South African politics who held three positions in the country’s cabinet, has died at the age of 75 after a short battle with cancer [[1]] [[2]] [[3]]. Gordhan was a respected figure in South African politics, known for standing up to former President Jacob Zuma during his scandal-marred presidency.
Early Life and Career
Born in 1949, Gordhan was a veteran anti-apartheid activist and high-ranking member of the African National Congress (ANC). He made a name for himself within government by leading an overhaul of the national tax agency, the South African Revenue Service (SARS), which he transformed into a world-class organization during his tenure as commissioner from 1999 to 2009. Under his leadership, government revenue more than tripled, and an additional 1.5 million people were drawn into the tax net.
Finance Minister
In 2009, Gordhan was appointed Finance Minister by President Zuma, replacing Trevor Manuel. During his five-year tenure, he steered the economy through the aftermath of the global financial crisis, and the economy grew by an average of about 1.8% annually. However, Gordhan’s tenure was marked by increased tension with Zuma, who undermined his authority and repeatedly clashed with him over fiscal policy.
Fraud Charges and Political Persecution
In 2016, Gordhan faced two fraud charges for allegedly illegally approving the early retirement of a subordinate, resulting in 1.1 million rand ($61,000) of wasteful expenditure. However, the case was dropped due to a lack of evidence, with Gordhan accusing Zuma of “persecution and political mischief” driven by “rent-seekers” intent on accessing state coffers.
Later Life and Legacy
After leaving the finance ministry, Gordhan served as cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister from 2015 to 2017. Despite facing numerous challenges and political battles, Gordhan remained a respected figure in South African politics, known for his integrity and commitment to fiscal responsibility.
Gordhan’s passing has been met with an outpouring of tributes from across the political spectrum, with many hailing him as a champion of democracy and good governance. His legacy will be remembered as a testament to his unwavering commitment to the principles of accountability, transparency, and fiscal responsibility.
References:
