Pravin Gordhan, a veteran anti-apartheid activist and South Africa’s former finance minister, passed away at age 75 after a battle with cancer. Gordhan was renowned for reforming the South African Revenue Service and for resisting former President Jacob Zuma’s corruption-linked administration. He held key cabinet roles, including public enterprises minister under President Cyril Ramaphosa.
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MEDIA STATEMENT BY THE GORDHAN FAMILY ON THE PASSING OF FORMER MINISTER PRAVIN GORDHAN
JOHANNESBURG – It is with profound sadness that the Gordhan family announces the passing of former Minister Pravin Gordhan.
Mr Gordhan passed away peacefully in hospital surrounded by his family, closest friends and his lifelong Comrades in the liberation struggle in the early hours of this morning.
Mr Gordhan, 75, was a committed political activist since his teenage years. He elected to retire from active politics after this year’s general election to spend time with his family.
His last portfolio in the South African Cabinet was Minister of Public Enterprises, from 2018 to 2024, after serving two terms as Minister of Finance, from 2009 to 2014 and again from 2015 to 2017. He also served as Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2014 to 2015.
In a distinguished career – from March 1999 to 2009 – he was the Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and transformed SARS into a world-class tax and customs administration.
Throughout his career as a political activist – including the multiparty negotiations at CODESA from 1991, as a Member of Parliament from 1994, and later as a Member of the Executive from 2009 – he remained committed to building and strengthening public institutions to support our Constitutional democracy. He did this with integrity, fearless courage and resilience.
He understood that participation in government was not merely a technical or technocratic role. Rather, it was to advance the high public duty that the Constitution bestows on all of us: to uplift the poor, eliminate inequalities, fight racism, greed and corruption, and create a society where social justice and economic emancipation occur within a far-reaching transformation of our society.
After his retirement, Minister Gordhan fought a short, courageous battle with cancer.
Bidding those closest to him farewell, Minister Gordhan was emphatic: “I have no regrets, no regrets… We have made our contribution.”
He is survived by his wife Vanitha, his daughters Anisha and Priyesha.
The Gordhan family requests that their privacy be respected during this difficult time of grief.
Funeral arrangements and the details of a media briefing by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, on behalf of the Gordhan family, will be announced in due course.
Read more: Tensions flare between Eskom board and Pravin Gordhan over CEO search
Pravin Gordhan, Who Defied South African Leader Zuma, Dies
By Mike Cohen
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
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.
© 2024 Bloomberg L.P.
The Passing of Former Minister Pravin Gordhan, a Fearless Ambassador for Public Service – SARS
Today is a day of profound sadness with the passing of the beloved Former Minister Pravin Gordhan, affectionately known as “PG” to many of us, a remarkable steward leader whose contributions to the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and our nation will be remembered for generations to come.
“The contribution of Pravin Gordhan may never be truly understood and appreciated by millions of South Africans. For those of us who have had the privilege to work very closely with him, and really got to know him, we will have learnt that he is a man who is truly committed to make contribution to changing the quality of life of South Africans,” were the reflections of Commissioner Ed Kieswetter when Pravin Gordhan was appointed as Finance Minister in 2009.
As the Commissioner of SARS from 1999 – 2009, it was PG who ushered in and evangelised the notion that SARS exists to serve a Higher Purpose of enabling government to build a capable democratic state that fosters sustainable economic growth and social development in the interest and wellbeing of all South Africans. It was he who set the organisation on a path that still directs and inspires us today and will continue for decades to come. PG was, without doubt, the one who conceptualised and laid the foundation for a Modern Tax and Customs Administration.
Pravin Gordhan’s leadership and unwavering commitment to public service have left an indelible mark on South Africa’s economic landscape. As a key figure in SARS, he championed policies and reforms that strengthened the institution, transforming it into a globally respected revenue service. His tenure was marked by an unyielding dedication to integrity, good governance, and accountability, ensuring that SARS became the pillar of strength for the nation’s fiscal health.
Beyond his significant work at SARS, he served South Africa with distinction in various leadership roles, including as Minister of Finance, Minister of Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs and Minister of Public Enterprises, where his courage and vision guided the country through challenging times. His lifelong commitment to building a fair and just society for all will continue to inspire future generations of public servants and leaders.
“I will remember him as a committed social activist who dedicated his life to the struggle and the improvement of the material conditions of South Africans at a time when we were in the steely grips of state capture, it was PG who stood fearlessly for justice and equality. He spoke with courage of his deep conviction and did not count the tremendous cost to him and his family.” said Commissioner Kieswetter.
We mourn the loss of a true patriot, social activist and a steward leader. PG was a life-long revolutionary, a struggle hero, who confronted apartheid unwaveringly, in the public arena and in the underground terrain. After 1990 he was the chairperson of the transitional government and part of the CODESA negotiations. His legacy will continue to guide SARS and South Africa in its pursuit of ethical governance and economic justice.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Vanitha and daughters Anisha and Priyesha, his extended family and friends who experienced his love and friendship, and to all those whose lives were touched by his visionary leadership and dedicated public service.
South Africans remain indebted to his selfless sacrifices and lifelong service. Pravin Gordhan remained a fierce warrior for justice until the very end. May his soul rest in peace.
“Thank you, Pravin, and hamba kahle!”
Ministry of Finance reaction to the passing of former Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan
The Ministry of Finance, headed by Mr Enoch Godongwana, expresses sadness at the
passing of Mr Pravin Gordhan early on Friday morning, September 13, 2024.
On behalf of the Ministry and National Treasury, Minister Godongwana offers condolences
and sympathy to the Gordhan family, wishing them comfort and understanding during this
difficult period.
Mr Gordhan played a pivotal and outstanding role in the development of democratic South
Africa’s financial and fiscal architecture during his tenure as the Commissioner of the South
African Revenue Service (SARS) between 1999 and 2009, and later as Minister of Finance
from 2009 and 2014 and 2015 to 2017.
“Pravin brought commitment, knowledge and care to every role that he served in, in the
Government. He deeply appreciated the role that the transformation of the economy and the
judicious management of the country’s finances could play in the lives of South Africans
from all walks of life,” said Minister Godongwana.
“He never shirked responsibility or wavered on matters of principle. He understood that it
was through building and protecting the institutions given life by the Constitution, such as
the National Treasury and the Revenue services, that the goals of equality and shared
prosperity could be achieved and sustained.”
Read also:
- SARS Whistleblower JvL: De Ruyter’s ‘naive’ investigation; Pravin Gordhan; being mugged
- Stalled trains, strained relations: Pravin Gordhan heads to China to seek resolution
- Tom Moyane vs Pravin Gordhan: Behind-the-scenes as Zupta tried to capture treasury #Zondo
© 2024 Bloomberg L.P.
