Former minister Pravin Jamnadas Gordhan died in Johannesburg on Friday. He was 75.
He died after being admitted to Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre in Johannesburg on Tuesday following a cancer diagnosis.
From 1999 to 2009, Gordhan, a qualified pharmacist, was appointed as the Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (Sars).
From 1991 and 1994, he chaired the Convention for a Democratic South Africa, and he was the co-chairperson of the Transitional Executive Council.
As a member of Parliament from 1994 to 1998, Gordhan chaired the parliamentary committee that focused on the implementation of the new Constitution and the transformation of local government in post-apartheid South Africa.
Gordhan was chairperson of the World Customs Organization from 2000 to 2006.
On May 10, 2009, former president Jacob Zuma appointed Gordhan as minister of Finance, succeeding Trevor Manuel.
In 2014, Gordhan was appointed the minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, succeeding Lechesa Tsenoli, who became deputy speaker of the National Assembly.
On December 14, 2015, Gordhan was re-appointed minister of Finance, replacing David van Rooyen who had been minister for four days.
In 2018, Gordhan was re-appointed to the Cabinet of President Cyril Ramaphosa as minister of Public Enterprises, taking over from former minister Lynne Brown. He would oversee state-owned enterprises, including the likes of Eskom, SAA, Denel, and others.
Gordhan retired from politics at the end of the sixth administration of South Africa’s democratic government. His intention to retire was announced in March this year.
His final portfolio in the Cabinet was minister of Public Enterprises, from 2018 to 2024.
The Star