‘Consider what you can do to serve our country,’ Ramaphosa urges mourners as nation bids farewell to Pravin Gordhan

Pravin Gordhan’s daughter Anisha Gordhan, speaks at her father’s official funeral. (Photo: Gallo Images / Siyabonga Sokhela)

By Queenin Masuabi

19 Sep 2024

President Cyril Ramaphosa used his speech at the funeral of former Cabinet minister Pravin Gordhan to denounce the rise of populism. He highlighted Gordhan’s humility and grace in the face of vilification and oppression.

‘You would not bend your knee before injustice,” said President Cyril Ramaphosa at the funeral of struggle stalwart Pravin Gordhan on Thursday.

ramaphosa gordhan eulogy President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the eulogy at the official funeral of Pravin Gordhan at Durban International Convention Centre. (Photo: Gallo Images / Siyabonga Sokhela)

In honour of Gordhan, the President said it was now imperative to be courageous and maintain integrity, even in the toughest of times.

“Where many tried to bring you low with their insults, your feet remained firmly on the high ground. And now you have surrendered your strength to the will of the creator. You were a much admired, much respected and much-loved comrade, colleague, leader and friend,” said Ramaphosa.

He delivered the eulogy at the Durban ICC on 19 September 2024. Ramaphosa’s speech was a rousing call to action that stood for non-racialism and against populism.

Gordhan is largely credited for his resistance to State Capture during former president Jacob Zuma’s tenure, which was allegedly executed to largely benefit the Gupta family.

Gordhan was the first minister to come forward with information on State Capture. He testified at the Zondo Commission.

Read more: Without Pravin Gordhan’s fightback and the media, ‘SA could have become an autocratic banana republic’

“The most fitting tribute we can pay to him is to reflect on our own actions. To consider what we can and should each do to serve our country. To reflect on what it means to be an activist. To consider if we are prepared to weather the great storms that so often confront acts of courage and integrity. These are the issues upon which we must indeed all reflect as we bid farewell to this great son of the soil,” Ramaphosa said.

Gordhan’s detractors weaponised his race as a means to deter him from exposing wrongdoing, especially in the controversial State Capture era.

“Many were racist, directed at one of the country’s foremost champions of non-racialism These attacks did nothing to diminish Pravin’s standing among South Africans. Instead, they exposed the moral bankruptcy of those who chose to target him and his family. It was shameful then, and it remains shameful now,” said the President.

jonas gordhan Mcebisi Jonas pays tribute at the official funeral of Pravin Gordhan at Durban International Convention Centre on Thursday, 19 September 2024. (Photo: Gallo Images/Siyabonga Sokhela)

Former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas, who served under Gordhan, delivered a powerful address at the funeral, focusing on the moral centre of ANC renewal.

Jonas reiterated that South Africans were desperate for a change that would steer the country in the right direction.

“You are unlikely to achieve a reset. The country is crying out loud for new ideas. We require new thinking,” he told the ANC.

The ANC has deemed its renewal project its main priority and has appointed a committee to deal solely with implementing relevant changes. The party has lamented the quality of its membership as well as incidents of ill-discipline and corruption that have embroiled some of its members.

Read more: Thabo Mbeki’s powerful words of anger point to the ANC’s bleak future

Ramaphosa highlighted the personal sacrifices that Gordhan undertook because of his activism against apartheid.

gordhan anisha Pravin Gordhan’s daughter Anisha Gordhan speaks at her father’s official funeral. (Photo: Gallo Images / Siyabonga Sokhela)

Gordhan’s daughters Anisha and Priyesha spoke about incidents when their father was arrested and how he missed special family occasions in his pursuit of fighting against apartheid’s injustices. In spite of these sacrifices, they said he was a good father and a family-oriented man.

Ramaphosa said, “To the Gordhan family, the nation shares in your sorrow at the loss of a husband, a father and a brother. It is not lost on any of us that his dedication to our country demanded great personal sacrifice from you.

“To the friends and compatriots of our departed comrade, be comforted in the knowledge that his legacy continues to guide our every effort to build a free, just and equal South Africa.” DM

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