The late former Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan, will be laid to rest next week Thursday in an official state funeral in Durban.
Gordhan died in the early hours of this morning following a battle with cancer.
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’s Executive Director, Neeshan Bolton briefed the media on the funeral arrangements at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg.
“The funeral will take place on Thursday in Durban and it will be an official funeral, and that, it will be followed by a private cremation after the funeral itself. But further details on this will be forthcoming from the government and particularly, from the presidency. But it’s happening in Durban on Thursday,” says Bolton.
“Gordhan stood for what was right”
Speaking at the briefing, former Finance Deputy Minister, Mcebisi Jonas, says had Gordhan not mobilised against state capture, the Guptas and former President Jacob Zuma would be in charge.
The former deputy minister says that Gordhan stood for what was right even when that meant going against his comrades.
“I tell you now within no time, Pravin Gordhan was in the forefront going out of ANC structures, going out on the normal alliance structures to mobilise society against state capture to mobilise society on a new agenda for strengthening and deepening democracy for this country. I can tell you now without fear or contradiction that if Pravin Gordhan didn’t do that, the Guptas would still be in power … Jacob Zuma would still be in power,” says Jonas.
Meanwhile, former Finance Minister, Trevor Manuel, says Gordhan’s important role of rebuilding the country’s state owned enterprises (SOEs) must be recognised.
Manuel says that Gordhan had to work with what he had in an effort to resuscitate the country’s SOEs following state capture.
“But what happened during the period of state capture is that everything was stolen from the Public Enterprises. So, by the time Pravin Gordhan is assigned that department, the cupboards are bare. The debt is high. You look at debt service costs for Transnet and Eskom, the list is endless. He had to work with the hand that he was dealt.”
Ahmed Kathrada Foundation holds media briefing on the passing of Gordhan:
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