He was addressing crowds of mourners gathered at the Kendra Hall in Durban, to pay their respects ahead of Gordhan’s funeral on Thursday.
The KwaZulu-Natal ANC held a memorial at Gordhan’s home province earlier today.
Maharaj said that his friend was held with high regard, in spite of some insults.
“The veritable outpourings of messages of support and appreciation from within South Africa, and across the globe- transcend the years of personal humiliation and racial insults that were showered on him. Together, these messages which continue to come even today, are a testimony of the high regard in which Pravin is held. There is a store of information about PG that will need to be mined in order to get a true measure of his legacy.”
‘Mister fixer’
KwaZulu-Natal ANC leader Siboniso Duma also paid tribute Gordhan as a fighter, a diplomat and strong character, focused on the transformation of the country.
He said he was known as ‘Mister Fixer.’
The memorial was attended by struggle veterans, retired judges, ANC NEC members, as well as representatives of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and the SAA board.
Duma says Gordhan was known for his fearlessness and foresight and as someone who could lead and take advice.
“Where Comrade Pravin, using his dialectic material understanding, he was going to say the ANC must unite, the alliance must unite. Together and coherent we need each other. This is our beloved country. This is our journey. We must close ranks and we must work together. It is befitting that we still see comrades entering the hall.”
Gordhan will be laid to rest in a special official category 2 funeral at the Durban ICC on Thursday. The 75-year-old Gordhan died in a Johannesburg hospital on Friday following a battle with cancer.
He served as Minister of Public Enterprises up to the May elections. Prior to that he also served as Minister of Finance and SARS Commissioner.
Gordhan cut his political teeth from 1971 when he joined the Natal Indian Congress. He was involved in community activism and underground ANC work in the 1970s and 1980s.
Gordhan and Mac Maharaj were both involved in Operation Vula – aimed at infiltrating ANC leaders back into South Africa from 1988 onwards.
Politics – SABC News – Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa’s news leader.