Sad loss: Pravin Gordhan passed away last Friday. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo
I worry every time we lose another one of our moral giants.
This was the case again when Pravin Gordhan died recently, at the age of 75.
There has been much said and written about him since then. And rightfully so, since he has been a staple of government news since the advent of our democracy.
For the most part, much of what we read and heard about him, seemed to be him trying to do what was best for the country.
Most recently read an article reminding us that Gordhan was not a saint and shouldn’t be painted as such entirely.
Now I didn’t personally know the man, so I can’t say for sure whether he was good or bad.
But having read a few comments about him and his work, I can say that his moral compass pointed due north, for the most part.
Some of the criticism directed at him is that under his watch, SEO’s such as SAA and Transnet fared poorly.
Having listened to his Zondo Commission testimony and other statements, it’s clear to me that this wasn’t done out of malice or criminal intent.
I believe his failures were because of genuine ignorance and perhaps placing his trust in the wrong people to implement his ideas.
Over the years there have been a rumour or two about Gordhan’s own involvement in corruption, but nothing that has been proven, as far as I can tell.
Every accusation almost always falls apart under examination, or is easily explainable.
He was actively opposed to corruption of any kind and was a proponent of good governance on all fronts.
And like I’ve said before, people don’t really care who is leading, as long as they are doing a fairly good job and we are benefitting from their leadership.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za
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