Indian-origin former finance minister of South Africa, Pravin Gordhan, handed away on the age of 75, his household introduced.
Gordhan had been a outstanding determine in South African politics because the nation’s transition to democracy in 1994, holding numerous key positions within the authorities till his retirement in Could.
In line with the household’s assertion, the veteran cupboard minister succumbed to most cancers early Friday morning within the hospital, “surrounded by his household, closest buddies, and lifelong comrades within the liberation wrestle.” He’s survived by his spouse, Vanitha, and their daughters, Anisha and Priyesha.
Expressing his grief, President Cyril Ramaphosa stated he was deeply saddened by the passing of lifelong activist Pravin Gordhan, who died on the age of 75 after a interval of sickness.
President Ramaphosa acknowledged: “We have now misplaced an impressive chief whose unassuming persona belied the depth of mind, integrity, and power with which he undertook his activism, his obligation as a parliamentarian, and his roles as a member of Cupboard,” in response to the letter launched by the presidency.
“Pravin Gordhan’s private sacrifices, his endeavours, and achievements throughout numerous sectors of our society endowed him with the insights, empathy, and resilience that fueled his service to the nation,” he added.
Formative years
Comfortable-spoken and measured in public however powerful behind the scenes, Gordhan was born within the japanese port metropolis of Durban in 1949.
He graduated from the College of Durban-Westville with a Bachelor of Pharmacy diploma, main him to work at King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban from 1974 to 1981.
Political profession
Whereas at college, he joined the anti-apartheid Natal Indian Congress and have become concerned with the African Nationwide Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Social gathering.
All through the Nineteen Eighties, beneath the ANC, Gordhan was repeatedly arrested for his political actions difficult white-minority rule.
As one of many negotiators for South Africa’s peaceable transition to a constitutional democracy, he turned a member of parliament in 1994 following Nelson Mandela’s historic election because the nation’s first democratically elected president, AFP reported.
From 1999 to 2009, Gordhan served as the pinnacle of the South African Income Service, throughout which period he was credited with reworking the group right into a world-class tax and customs service.
Function in South Africa’s authorities
From 2018 to 2024, Gordhan served because the minister of public enterprises, overseeing state-owned enterprises. He additionally held the place of finance minister for 2 phrases, from 2009 to 2014 and once more from 2015 to 2017.
All through his profession, Gordhan was recognized for his outspoken criticism of corruption inside the authorities and state-owned enterprises. He was among the many ministers who brazenly criticized the management of former President Jacob Zuma, even whereas serving in his Cupboard.
His final cupboard portfolio noticed him answerable for public enterprises, the place he was appointed by President Ramaphosa to root out graft and waste at state-owned companies just like the troubled electrical energy monopoly Eskom and embattled South African Airways.
To many, he failed to take action, leaving a number of debt-ridden state-owned enterprises in a calamitous state upon his retirement.
Gordhan had been a outstanding determine in South African politics because the nation’s transition to democracy in 1994, holding numerous key positions within the authorities till his retirement in Could.
In line with the household’s assertion, the veteran cupboard minister succumbed to most cancers early Friday morning within the hospital, “surrounded by his household, closest buddies, and lifelong comrades within the liberation wrestle.” He’s survived by his spouse, Vanitha, and their daughters, Anisha and Priyesha.
Expressing his grief, President Cyril Ramaphosa stated he was deeply saddened by the passing of lifelong activist Pravin Gordhan, who died on the age of 75 after a interval of sickness.
President Ramaphosa acknowledged: “We have now misplaced an impressive chief whose unassuming persona belied the depth of mind, integrity, and power with which he undertook his activism, his obligation as a parliamentarian, and his roles as a member of Cupboard,” in response to the letter launched by the presidency.
“Pravin Gordhan’s private sacrifices, his endeavours, and achievements throughout numerous sectors of our society endowed him with the insights, empathy, and resilience that fueled his service to the nation,” he added.
Formative years
Comfortable-spoken and measured in public however powerful behind the scenes, Gordhan was born within the japanese port metropolis of Durban in 1949.
He graduated from the College of Durban-Westville with a Bachelor of Pharmacy diploma, main him to work at King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban from 1974 to 1981.
Political profession
Whereas at college, he joined the anti-apartheid Natal Indian Congress and have become concerned with the African Nationwide Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Social gathering.
All through the Nineteen Eighties, beneath the ANC, Gordhan was repeatedly arrested for his political actions difficult white-minority rule.
As one of many negotiators for South Africa’s peaceable transition to a constitutional democracy, he turned a member of parliament in 1994 following Nelson Mandela’s historic election because the nation’s first democratically elected president, AFP reported.
From 1999 to 2009, Gordhan served as the pinnacle of the South African Income Service, throughout which period he was credited with reworking the group right into a world-class tax and customs service.
Function in South Africa’s authorities
From 2018 to 2024, Gordhan served because the minister of public enterprises, overseeing state-owned enterprises. He additionally held the place of finance minister for 2 phrases, from 2009 to 2014 and once more from 2015 to 2017.
All through his profession, Gordhan was recognized for his outspoken criticism of corruption inside the authorities and state-owned enterprises. He was among the many ministers who brazenly criticized the management of former President Jacob Zuma, even whereas serving in his Cupboard.
His final cupboard portfolio noticed him answerable for public enterprises, the place he was appointed by President Ramaphosa to root out graft and waste at state-owned companies just like the troubled electrical energy monopoly Eskom and embattled South African Airways.
To many, he failed to take action, leaving a number of debt-ridden state-owned enterprises in a calamitous state upon his retirement.
