"That statement from the EFF was just a statement of irony, because greed and corruption define what the @EFFSouthAfrica leadership is about. The problem they've had with Pravin Gordhan and everybody at SARS is that @sarstax has to go after tobacco smugglers." – Trevor Manuel… pic.twitter.com/vbwJBEsW16
— News Live SA (@newslivesa) September 13, 2024
Former Minister Trevor Manuel has come out in defense of the late Pravin Gordhan, following a statement from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) criticizing Gordhan’s legacy. Manuel described the EFF’s statement as “ironic” and accused the party of hypocrisy, given their own leadership issues with greed and corruption. He also criticized the EFF’s lack of transparency regarding their funding sources and the lavish spending on their rallies.
On Friday morning, Gordhan’s family announced that the 75-year-old former politician and struggle stalwart died after a short battle with Cancer
The EFF released a statement following Gordhan’s passing, accusing him of leaving a “legacy of destruction and betrayal” and claiming he led the collapse of key institutions such as Eskom, SAA, Transnet, and Denel.
“Gordhan was a man whose legacy is deeply intertwined with the destruction of our state-owned enterprises and the betrayal of the people of South Africa. We cannot mourn counter progressive forces that stood against the potential of building a successful, sovereign country that serves its people. instead, we are reminded of the wreckage he leaves behind – wreckage that has ravaged the lives of ordinary South Africans,” the EFF said.
The EFF’s Statement on the Death of Pravin Gordhan
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) September 13, 2024
-Gordhan was the embodiment of greed, corruption, and elitism. His tenure as Minister of Public Enterprises was a period of unparalleled disaster for every state-owned enterprise he touched. Under his leadership, Eskom became a… pic.twitter.com/Gj0wCkcojm
Gordhan was born in 1949 in the eastern port city of Durban. His parents were traders, who had emigrated to South Africa from India in the 1920s.
From the early 1970s, Gordhan, as a pharmacy student, became involved in the struggle against white-minority rule. In the following decade he was a key figure in the United Democratic Front (UDF), a coalition of anti-apartheid organisations.
He was jailed several times for his activism.
In 1991, he co-chaired the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (Codesa), which was responsible for negotiating the end of apartheid and the establishment of a democratic government.
He was a prominent figure in the fight against “State Capture”, a term used in South Africa to describe the alleged undue influence of private interests over state institutions, often for corrupt purposes.
In 2017, he was fired in a midnight cabinet reshuffle as he was seen as a bulwark against corruption in President Zuma’s administration, which was facing growing criticism.
The Gupta family of businessman, close associates of Zuma, were at the centre of these allegations. Both the Guptas and Zuma deny any wrongdoing.
