Pravin Gordhan will go down in history as a committed patriot and servant of South Africa whose intentions were always impeccable and whose influence left the country in a better place than it would have been.
These are the sentiments of Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), which was one of many organisations and individuals that paid tribute to the former minister and political veteran following his passing on Friday, at the age of 75, following a short battle with cancer.
“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,” BLSA CEO Busi Mavuso.
“He was a bulwark against State Capture and played a crucial role in stemming the looting of the state during the Zuma presidency.”
Mavuso said even though the business organisation didn’t always agree with him, it could never fault him on his drive to make the country succeed.
“He was part of the crop of politicians who came into government really to serve South Africans and uplift the country,” said Mavuso.
“You would not always agree with his views, but his intentions were unquestionable. He really served this country with distinction.”
Gordhan played a fundamental role in stabilising South Africa’s finances, both in his earlier role as head of South African Revenue Services (Sars) and in his subsequent tenures as Finance Minister, where he worked hard to tackle widespread corruption and helped to stabilise investor sentiment.
During the so-called State Capture era he also stood in the way of efforts to force through an unaffordable nuclear deal.
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“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,” BLSA said.
“He bore these attacks with strength, his integrity shining through.”
Martlé Keyter, Chief Executive of the Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA), said Gordhan dedicated his life to making South Africa a better place for all.
“He gave hope and integrity to South Africa as the face of resistance against state-capture, exposing numerous Gupta-led projects and other shady tenders at Eskom and Transnet to name a few.”
Keyter said the former minister was always willing to engage with organised labour to seek viable solutions to challenges whenever they met.
“Let us honour him by following his legacy of serving with integrity,” Keyter added.
IOL