Pravin Gordhan, a former public servant who recently passed away after battling cancer, defended his legacy by emphasizing that he never misappropriated any state funds. Gordhan, who passed away at the age of 75, died less than four months after retiring.
One of his last actions as the public enterprises minister was addressing the termination of the sale of majority SAA shares to Takatso Consortium. This decision was made due to delays and competition policy challenges. The sale had sparked controversy, with some politicians opposing the privatization of the state entity.
Despite facing accusations of hidden agendas in the deal, Gordhan asserted that he was not involved in any corrupt activities and his family did not benefit from the arrangement. The cancellation of the sale, initiated after he presented documents relating to the deal to the public enterprises committee, was done professionally and without pressure.
During his tenure, SAA consistently required government bailouts due to mismanagement and corruption, with former chair Dudu Myeni declared a delinquent director for life in 2020. Gordhan’s reputation as a corruption fighter remained untarnished throughout his career.
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