Pravin Gordhan, respected South African former minister, dies

Pravin Gordhan, the globally respected two-time South African minister of finance, has died. He was 75.

According to a statement from his family, 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.”

Gordhan served as minister of finance from 2009-2014 and from 2015-2017, gaining a reputation at home and abroad as an honest dealer and safe pair of hands during years of political turbulence and economic drift under President Jacob Zuma, who sacked him twice. 

As minister of public enterprises from 2018-2024, Gordhan was tasked by President Cyril Ramaphosa with clearing out the Augean stables of South Africa’s state-owned enterprises after years of corruption and mismanagement, known locally as “state capture”. He first made his name as a commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) from 1999-2009.

In office he was frequently open about the challenges the nation faced and the tough reforms that he felt were necessary if South Africa was to again become economically competitive and chip away at its enormous unemployment figures. His forthrightness endeared him to investors and global counterparts, but frequently exposed him to political attacks at home.

In March, Gordhan announced that he was to retire from active politics following the May general election, at which the ANC lost the parliamentary majority it had enjoyed since the advent of democracy and was forced into a coalition with the opposition Democratic Alliance. 

“Beacon of our fight against corruption”

President Cyril Ramaphosa led the tributes to his long-time colleague. 

“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 personal 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.

“In the latter years of this service to the nation, and as a beacon of our fight against corruption, Pravin Gordhan stood up to derision 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.”

Life of service

Pravin Gordhan was born in Durban in 1949 and studied for a bachelor of pharmacy degree at the University of Durban-Westville which led to him working at the King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban from 1974 to 1981.

It was during this time that he became involved with student and civic movements in the fight against apartheid, including as an executive member of the Natal Indian Congress. In the early 1980s, his activism led to his dismissal from the hospital, as well as detention by police and banning orders. He also served as a military operative in uMkhonto weSizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress.

During South Africa’s transition to democracy and in the early years of the democratic dispensation, Gordhan played a leading role in the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) multi-party dialogue and was later appointed as chairperson of the Parliamentary Constitutional Committee.

Thuli Madonsela, the former South African public protector who authored a key report into state capture, acknowledged his key roles in the struggle for democracy and economic policymaking.

“Shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the passing of former minister and struggle stalwart Pravin Gordhan. He worked selflessly to help bring about democracy and did a stellar job in making SARS a world class institution.”