DURBAN — Mourners filled the Durban International Convention Centre (ICC) on Thursday to pay their respects to the late ANC politician and former Cabinet minister Pravin Gordhan, who passed away last week after a battle with cancer, aged 75.
President Ramaphosa delivered the eulogy at the funeral, where the South African flag was on display. A few ANC t-shirts were spotted between the black attire of mourners.
“During one of the most painful chapters in our democratic history, as the state was being looted by the powerful and connected, he chose to resist,” Ramaphosa said.
He praised Gordhan’s commitment to the people, stating that he “worked to thwart the capture of the state,” even when it meant confronting former comrades who had strayed from their original purpose.
Speaking in a panel discussion on Gordhan’s legacy the day before, Adil Nchabeleng, the Crown Prince of the Royal Tau-Nchabeleng Tribal Authority in Limpopo, said:
“Here you have a political figure who has contributed immensely to the liberation struggle and has played a major role in South Africa for the fight for liberation during the apartheid days and the post-apartheid era”.
Matthew Parks, parliamentary coordinator at the Congress of South African Trade Unions, expressed his condolences, emphasising Gordhan’s commitment to the nation.
“We mourn the loss of Pravin Gordhan. We wish his family well, and want to appreciate his family for sharing him with us as a country, as a liberation movement, for many years,” he stated.
Parks recounted Gordhan’s choice to oppose the apartheid regime, noting that he could have led a comfortable life as a pharmacist but chose a path of resistance, enduring significant personal sacrifices, including torture.
Born in Durban just a year after apartheid was formally introduced, Gordhan got involved in activism with the Natal Indian Congress at the age of 22. After playing a role in the transition to democracy, he served as commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), and later held various ministerial posts before retiring just months before his death.
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Picture via BizNews.
