Pravin Jamnadas Gordhan.
ANC veteran militant and intellectually pregnant politician Pravin Jamnadas Gordhan died on Friday the 13th after suffering from a long illness.
His friend and comrade President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent condolences to Gordhan's family as more tributes continue from his comrades and various stakeholders ahead of his Official funeral next week.
Ramaphosa offered deep condolences to Gordhan’s wife, Vanitha Raju, and daughters, Anisha and Priyesha.
“We have lost an outstanding leader whose unassuming persona belied the depth of intellect, integrity, and energy with which he undertook his activism, his duty as a parliamentarian, and his roles as a member of Cabinet. Pravin Gordhan’s sacrifices and his endeavours and achievements in various sectors of our society endowed him with the insights, empathy and resilience that fuelled his service to the nation,” he said.
Ramaphosa also said Gordhan was a consummate leader who refused to be subjected to trepidation by forces of gloom and doom when he fought against State Capture and corruption.
“In the latter years of this service to the nation, and as a beacon of our fight against corruption, Pravin Gordhan stood up to ridicule and threats emanating from some in our nation who were scorched by his insistence that justice be dispensed against those who sought to undermine our democracy and raid our public resources and assets,” Ramaphosa said.
“During his decades of revolutionary dedication to making South Africa a better place, Pravin Gordhan and his family were deprived of much-needed and deserved time together. As we mourn his passing, we remain grateful for his life of sacrifice and service and his sustained striving for the realisation of the vision and dictates of our Constitution.”
On 10 September 2024, Gordhan's family announced that he was admitted to hospital. On 12 September 2024, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula held a press conference to discuss Gordhan's ill-health, saying that he was in a "critical condition" and receiving the best care in hospital. Gordan died in the early hours of Friday, 13 September 2024.
Gordhan was born on 12 April 1949 in Durban and matriculated from Sastri College in 1967.
In 1973 he graduated from the University of Durban Westville with a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree. He completed his pharmacy internship at King Edward VIII Hospital in 1974 and worked there until 1981
Gordhan was a politician and anti-apartheid activist who held various ministerial posts in the Cabinet of South Africa. He served as Minister of Finance from 2009 until 2014 and again from 2015 until 2017, as Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2014 until 2015, and as Minister of Public Enterprises from February 2018 until June 2024, when the ministry was abolished, along with the Department of Public Enterprises, following the 2024 general elections.
Gordhan became associated with members of the Natal Indian Congress (NIC). In 1971 and was elected to its executive council in 1974. During the 1970s, Gordhan helped establish grassroots organisations that became involved in underground activities and associated with the African National Congress (ANC) and later the South African Communist Party (SACP).
In 1981 the Natal Provincial Administration dismissed Gordhan from King Edward VIII Hospital for his political activities while he was in detention. He was released from jail in 1982 and received banning orders effective until June 1983. Gordhan attended the launch of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Cape Town in 1983 where it also NIC became an affiliated organisation.
Gordhan attended the preparatory meeting for the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) in 1991 as a joint NIC/Transvaal Indian Congress (TIC) representative and was appointed NIC/TIC delegate to the steering committee responsible for organising CODESA 1. In 1993 he was appointed to the panel of chairpersons on the planning committee of the multi-party negotiation process
Bheki Mtolo, ANC KZN Provincial Secretary said: “As the African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal we dip our revolutionary banner in honour of the departed dedicated patriot Comrade Pravin Gordhan. We were nursing hope that he was going to recover and be with us again but unfortunately, he left us unexpectedly. Messages of condolences and commentary in various social media platforms including phone-in on radio stations is an indication of a positive impact comrade Pravin Gordhan made under the banner of the ANC,” said Mtolo. “It views of the sad developments it is with deep sorrow and profound sadness that, respectfully, we are announcing the cancellation of the prayer service which was scheduled for this evening. Cde Pravin leaves behind an indelible legacy. His wisdom, courage, and selfless dedication to the people of South Africa will never be forgotten. He was a respected beloved son of this province, a veteran of our movement, and a stalwart in the struggle for our nation’s freedom. During this time of immense grief, our thoughts and prayers are with his family, loved ones, comrades, and all whose lives he touched. We mourn alongside the entire nation as we come to terms with the loss of one of our finest leaders. Let us honour his memory by continuing to uphold the values he so fiercely defended in service to our country and its people. Hamba Kahle cde PG.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa and the late former Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Jamnadas Gordhan.
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