Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan will retire from active politics after the national and provincial elections on May 29.
Gordhan’s announcement comes as the ANC is set to submit candidate lists to the Independent Electoral Commission on Friday after it held its list conference earlier this week.
He confirmed his retirement to Business Day, stating that he wanted to prioritise his family and health.
“I feel it is time to focus on my family and health. It is the end of 50 years of activism, but I will always remain an activist. It has been a great privilege to serve in various capacities and hopefully I can contribute by teaching what I know to new and younger generations,” Gordhan was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
The minister joins other veteran ANC MPs such as National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and People with Disabilities, who have indicated their intention to retire from politics after the elections.
Gordhan's announcement comes at a time his department is overseeing the sale of SAA shares to Takatso Consortium.
This week, the public enterprises portfolio committee said the legal opinion it has obtained confirmed that the documents on the sale of SAA shares were confidential.
Committee chairperson Khaya Magaxa said the committee will now review the information provided in a closed session, specifically the Single Source Provider Application.
“This is due to the ongoing nature of the transaction and the absence of definitive outcomes,” Magaxa said.
This comes after the committee met on Wednesday behind closed doors to consider legal opinion from the parliamentary legal services on the documents received from Gordhan.
Gordhan had written to Magaxa indicating that the documents the committee requested were confidential and should be subjected to confidentiality regime.
“It is information relating to negotiating processes both in 2021 and currently, and disclosures of which may adversely affect those processes to the detriment of government and the public interest.
“Please note that negotiations on this transaction are continuing to take cognizance of current market conditions and revised valuations,” he wrote in his letter.
Gordhan also said in the absence of an agreed amended sale of shares agreement, the conditions of the original sale of shares agreement remained legally binding.
He, however, said the appointment of Rand Merchant Bank as transaction advisor and update on strategic equity partners were not confidential and could be shared with the public.
Gordhan listed the RMB evaluation report, Harith Expression of Interest and Sale of shares agreement and addenda as confidential.
“I therefore request that the documents that we identified as confidential be subject to confidentiality regime.”
The DA has written to Magaxa officially informing him of its decision not to participate in any in-camera considerations of the SAA-Takatso deal until such a time that such deliberations are opened to members of the public including the media and the share sale and purchase agreement as well as other relevant documents were released.
Cape Times