‘Gordhan was a champion against corruption facing major pushbacks’

The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation has hailed the late former Minister Pravin Gordhan as a champion against corruption, who endured massive pushbacks against the campaign to clean governance and anti-corruption drive.

Neeshan Bolton, Executive Director at the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, says that Gordhan represented the best values for the Kathrada and Mandela generations.

Bolton says his passion and professionalism defined the way in which he did his work.

“For us in the foundation, he represented the best of the values of the Kathrada generation and the Mandela generation in terms of what patriotism required both in terms of obstructing apartheid and building this new South Africa; his passion and professionalism defined the way in which he did all of his work at all times, bound by a high moral and ethical set of values and conduct.”

Meanwhile, political analyst Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast says Gordhan assumed his position as finance minister under difficult circumstances and still did a remarkable job.

He says when the global financial recession hit in 2008, Gordhan took leadership.

“The gap that exists in terms of our reflection on his life is his contribution to the ministry of finance because he came into that position under very difficult circumstances. Remember, in 2008 we were struck by the global financial recession, but that crisis did not affect us, and that did not happen by itself; it happened because of his leadership.”

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