Former provincial secretary and SACP member Hope Papo said the late minister Pravin Gordhan disliked incompetency and maladministration
Papo was speaking at the Johannesburg City Hall after the memorial service of Gordhan on Tuesday.
He said Gordhan had been part of the architectural constitutional democracy people were now enjoying.
Papo said he would remember Gordhan as a constitutionalist and a brave comrade.
“Pravin disliked and hated mismanagement, maladministration, crime and corruption. By the time he went to public enterprises, many of those state-owned enterprises (SOEs) were in shambles.
“Any attempt to associate problems of the SOE, are disingenuous and dishonest, because you find situations where balance sheets were terrible,” he added.
Papo said the fact that Gordhan wanted to stabilise all municipalities and SOEs spoke volumes about his calibre as a leader.
Gordhan passed away on Friday.
During the memorial service, Gordhan was hailed as principled and fearless leader.
Fearless, determined and brave, that’s how ANC Gauteng provincial chairperson Panyaza Lesufi described Gordhan.
Lesufi said Gordhan stood on the side of the oppressed people in all material times.
He said he was comforted to be in the Struggle with Gordhan as he knew that his ultimate goal was to see black people liberated.
“I was a tiny student when I met comrade Pravin. When we received the information that Operation Vula was cracked by the apartheid regime, our people were sent to jail.
“We were then requested to give them support to take care of them. We stayed on the ground to gather information so that the leadership may know what was happening and also to be able to strategise accordingly,” Lesufi exclaimed.
He further said when he met Gordhan as a teen, he was filled with anger towards the apartheid regime but he was comforted by Pravin through the revolutionary path that they were embarking on.
Lesufi said he found comfort in the fact that he knew Gordhan through Operation Vula, who represented all races and was determined to ensure that black people were emancipated.
Lesufi said he did not remember a day where Gordhan insulted the party’s leadership because he was not elected to leadership positions.
He further said even when he was insulted, Gordhan did not respond as a disciplined cadre.
“He remained true to the ANC even to his death, true to the organisation. What PG (Pravin Gordhan) is teaching us is that we must remain upright at all times.
“What he is sending to us is, we must utilise power to liberate our people and power must not been utilised to undermine others, and we must not share power with those we do not share similar vision with.”
ANC treasurer-general Gwen Ramokgopa said Gordhan was dedicated to the Struggle and the ANC.
Ramokgopa said the late former minister retired in government, but he was, however, still active in the organisation.
“Even though PG resigned as government minister, he stayed on to serve the ANC serving on the committee for finance until the last day.”
“PG was one of the ... ANC’s longest-serving members in finance committee, proceeding even the current team,” Ramokgopa added.
She said this demonstrated his level of dedication and integrity despite his many other important commitments in the organisation.
Ramokgopa said the ANC would remember Gordhan for his forthright remarks.
She said he struggled with diplomacy in his lifetime.
“Comrade PG could’ve been trained in diplomacy but, he struggles to be a diplomat. he called a spade a spade, he would come back and say I hope you didn’t misunderstand me. I didn’t mean to be rude, I was just making this point,” Ramokgopa reminisced.
She further described Gordhan as a developmental leader, who had a zero tolerance for injustice and that he was a man who hated cowardice.
The Star