Former Wits vice-chancellor and political analyst, Adam Habib has called out some ANC members for not protecting the late former minister Pravin Gordhan from his political foes.
Habib said some of Gordhan’s comrades who agreed with the unwarranted criticism of him were unfair.
“The ANC should also be ashamed that there are many within its midst that align with these racists. If you treat one of your own like this, how will you treat the rest of us? To his family I say; your partner, father and brother was a great patriot.
“Ignore the noise; Pravin always fought those who hate others. It is not a surprise that the haters still condemn him. We should rejoice in that they cannot rest even when he has passed on,” he said.
Habib said those who criticised Gordhan did so on crude racist grounds, referring to the usage of his middle name - Jamnadas - by detractors to denigrate his Indian ancestry and the accusation that he was a puppet of white monopoly capital.
He said this was shameful, and lambasted the fact that society allowed those who hurled insults at Gordhan free airtime.
“I did not always agree with him. In fact, we disagreed on many occasions and we had our fair share of run-ins. This was expected given that we grew up in different political traditions and that we often had different approaches to resolving national challenges.
“But this never led me to question his patriotism and commitment to this country or his movement. It never led me to deny his great contribution in SARS and in calling out the corruption in the Zuma years.
“His later performance in public enterprises may be less than sterling. But Pravin was a citizen and a comrade who made a difference. In any other society he would be applauded.
“And many have done so in SA. But there are also others from within his own movement and in opposition parties that emanated from the ANC which harangued him for years,” he noted.
Habib who hailed the late minister as “without doubt one of South Africa’s great patriots”, added that his death had exposed South Africans at their “best and their worst”.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Maropene Ramokgopa, has announced that a Book of Condolence for the former Minister of Public Enterprises, would be available this week for messages at the office of the Department of Public Enterprises in Pretoria.
Ramokgopa conveyed her condolences to the Gordhan family on behalf of the Department, saying: “It is fitting that we honour the legacy of an activist and stalwart. The Book of Condolence is one way for South Africans and citizens of the world to remember former Minister Pravin Gordhan. His fearlessness and unwavering commitment to good governance will forever be remembered.”
The Book of Condolence will be available for messages until the day of Gordhan’s funeral on Thursday.
Gordhan became minister of Public Enterprises in 2018 and served in the sixth Administration until his retirement in June of this year.
The Star