2 weeks Ago By Dries Liebenberg
Home | Gordhan prevented South Africa from becoming a failed state: Speakers Late former minister Pravin Gordhan prevented South Africa from becoming a failed state due to state capture and corruption. This has been the message of several speakers at Gordhan’s special official funeral in Durban. Thousands of activists, friends and luminaries attended the event.
Those who were close to Gordhan’s family and those in the inner circle gave a rare glimpse of what it was to live and work with a man, who gave his life to the struggle and building South Africa. Veteran politician Mac Maharaj has called on the African National Congress (ANC) to get its house in order and fit for purpose in light of the damage wrought by state capture and corruption. He says Gordhan was instrumental in exposing state capture linked to the Gupta family and led the fightback.
“Without them, our beloved country could have become a banana republic governed by an autocratic regime, adorned with a fig leaf of a hollowed-out democracy. The corrupt hurled everything at PG. Neither the actions of a captured Public Protector, SARS, SAPS, the NPA, and the power of the presidency to concoct fake intelligence to rubbish a person’s identity; neither that nor the abuse showered on him shook him,” adds Maharaj.
Mark Maharaj and Mcebisi Jonas pay tribute to late Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan Gordhan’s daughter Anisha gives a rare glimpse into what it was like to grow up in an activist family during the apartheid era. She describes her parents’ home above a shop in the Durban CBD as a centre, where messages were dropped off, logistical arrangements were made, and sometimes heated debates took place. She says one of her earliest memories was of her father being arrested by the security police.
“My father was planning Griffiths Mxenge’s funeral at the time and the cops found pamphlets in our home. As they were taking my father away to detention, he told me to look at the faces of the security branch police and remember these men, who were taking my father away.” “These men, he said, were working against the liberation of this country and he taught me to call them Oinks, meaning pigs.
” VIDEO | Anisha Gordhan pays last tribute to her father ‘True patriot’ Former Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas describes Gordhan as a true patriot. He says despite being a staunch communist, Gordhan realised that the demonopolising of state monopolies required imagining what a future South African would look like. He punctuates his recollection of Gordhan by describing an event at Gordhan’s deathbed.
“Whilst PG was unconscious, Anusha and Priyesha were playing him recordings of the vigils held for him in Durban and Johannesburg. It shocked me that when they played the national anthem — and PG was motionless — but when they played the national anthem PG moved.” “That tells you about his deep and abiding love for this country.
It is great to sing the national anthem at sports events and national days. I think it is only a true patriot that will respond to it as his life is fleeting away,” adds Jonas. Former South African Communist Party (SACP) general secretary Dr Blade Nzimande says the ANC, SACP and Cosatu must dust themselves off after the beating they took in the May elections, and mobilise to continue the struggle.
“Of course, we lost elections. As our own president and SG of the ANC have said, it was a setback. But let’s stop mourning.
For how long are we going to be crying? Let’s unite ourselves, let’s unite the alliance, let’s unite our people, let’s build a non-racial movement to take our struggles forward. In honour of comrade Pravin, we’ve said as the SACP and Cosatu – we are going to convene a gathering of progressive forces.” When the notes of the last post played by a police officer faded away President Cyril Ramaphosa handed the South African flag that draped Gordhan’s coffin to his widow Vanitha.
President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers a Eulogy: Crematorium Cabinet veteran and struggle stalwart Pravin Gordhan was cremated in a private ceremony at the Clare Estate crematorium in Durban on Thursday afternoon. Minoshni Pillay was outside the crematorium and gave some insights into the Hindu burial rites which she says are different for every Hindu family. SABC © 2024.
