The trustees and staff of the Nelson Mandela Foundation are deeply saddened by the passing of Pravin Gordhan. Our thoughts are with his wife and daughters, his family, friends and comrades at this difficult time.
South Africa has lost one of its finest servants. Mr Gordhan served the country with great distinction, whether in the fight against apartheid in the 1970s and 1980s in the mass democratic movement and the ANC/SACP underground, or during the transition period in the early 1990s, or in the democratic era as both public servant and cabinet minister. He worked closely with Madiba during the transition to democracy, when he chaired CODESA, the multi-party negotiating forum and the Transitional Executive Council. During the first democratic parliament, he again worked closely with Madiba in his role as chairperson of the committee which oversaw the drafting of the Constitution.
He will be remembered as a principled and courageous leader, someone who stood firm against those intent on using power to capture the state for private interests. He’ll be sorely missed.
Hamba kahle qhawe lamaqhawe!