Pravin Gordhan. (Delwyn Veerasamy/M&G)
Former public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan, one of the key figures in the fight back against the state takeover, has died aged 75.
Gordon was admitted to hospital earlier this week for treatment for cancer and died in the early hours of Friday morning, his family said in a statement.
His family said Gordon “passed away peacefully in hospital after a short and brave battle with cancer, surrounded by his family, close friends and lifelong comrades in the liberation struggle.”
Gordon has held a number of ministerial posts since 2009, including finance, local government and public enterprises, and also served as commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) for 10 years, before retiring after the May election.
“Throughout his career as a political activist, he remained committed to building and strengthening the public institutions that underpin our constitutional democracy. He did this with integrity, fearless courage and tenacity,” the family statement said.
“He understood that participation in government is not merely a technical or technocratic role. Rather, it is about advancing the high public duty that the Constitution bestows on all of us: helping the poor, eliminating inequality, and fighting racism, greed and corruption.”
Godane was a lifelong political activist who played a key role in the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the ANC underground in the 1980s and was detained multiple times under the apartheid-era Internal Security Act.
Popularly known as 'PG', Gordon was both a seasoned technocrat and a sensitive political activist responsible for building a network of civil society organisations under the umbrella of the UDF.
He was part of the ANC's negotiating team during the transition to democracy and served as one of the party's MPs in the first post-apartheid Parliament in 1994.
Gordon was appointed finance minister by then-president Jacob Zuma in 2009 and went on to become one of Zuma's fiercest critics, leading the fight against an internal ANC takeover of the state.
He played a key role in President Cyril Ramaphosa's first administration but chose to retire from politics after the last election.
“We have lost an outstanding leader who, despite his modest personality, possessed deep intellect, integrity and energy, and who served as an activist, member of parliament and minister,” President Ramaphosa said in a statement.
“Pravin Gordon's personal sacrifices and hard work and achievements in various sectors of society have given him the insight, empathy and tenacity that have driven him in the service of the nation.”
Gordon is survived by his wife, Vanita, and daughters Anisha and Preesha.