Pravin Gordhan's funeral a 'ceremony of cats'

After being vocal about his opinions on Gordhan following his death, EFF leader Julius Malema took to social media to further express his discontent over the funeral ceremony of former minister Pravin Gordhan.

The ceremony was held at the Durban ICC, in KwaZulu-Natal, and was followed by a private cremation yesterday.

Gordhan died on September 13, 2024, after several months of illness. He was 75.

Though not direct in his metaphorical shots, it was clear who Malema had cryptically posted about.

Malema posted a clip of the late ANC stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's funeral which was held at Orlando Stadium in Gauteng and attended by thousands in 2018.

"This is the image of a hero's funeral, saluting the one who lived and was laid to rest by the people. Not mokete wa dikatse (a ceremony of cats). Malibongwe," he captioned the clip.
In another post, the EFF leader showed a small tent, saying the shelter would have saved the day, just short of saying the funeral would been better held there than at the vast Durban ICC.

"Gordhan's legacy is one of failure, exploitation, and corruption. May we never allow another Pravin Gordhan to rise again," the EFF said in a statement.

It further stated that Gordhan was a man whose legacy is inextricably linked to the collapse of our State-Owned Enterprises and the betrayal of the South African people.

"We cannot mourn counter progressive forces that stood against the potential of building a successful, sovereign country that serves its people. instead, we are reminded of the wreckage he leaves behind – wreckage that has ravaged the lives of ordinary South Africans."

Meanwhile, stalwarts of the ANC said yesterday that Gordhan had backed the Government of National Unity (GNU) but was hopeful that the ANC could renew and turn itself again into an organisation that could get the majority vote at future elections.

Party leaders, including President Cyril Ramaphosa and secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, paid tribute to Gordhan at his funeral service held at Durban's ICC yesterday.

Gordhan served two terms as minister of finance, was a former commissioner of the South African Revenue Service and served as minister of public enterprises from February 2018 until his March 2024 announcement of planned retirement.

He died on September 13 at the age of 75.

Yunus Carrim, the former minister of communications, said he had spoken to Gordhan on three occasions after the May elections and Gordhan's view was that the balance of forces were weighted against the ANC and the party had no choice but to enter the GNU.

The ANC lost its majority in the recent elections and for the first time had to enter a power-sharing agreement with other parties.

"As much as the ANC and the DA are fundamentally different parties, the main aim was to get the economy growing, create jobs and reduce inequalities.

"I think he saw it as a contingent phase, a temporary phase, so the ANC can consolidate and win back a majority in elections five years or as soon as possible after."

Carrim said he believed Gordhan was confident this could be done by ensuring economic growth, job creation and reducing inequality.

"For him, it was a tactical decision, but the overall strategy was to use the GNU to build the political, social and moral support for the ANC to become a majority," Carrim said.

ANC KZN leader Mike Mabuyakhulu said that Gordhan took the initiative after the election results had been announced to hold a meeting with him.

"We discussed the issues of the formation of the GNU and indeed he was for this formation, but he understood that it was supposed to be a transient measure, that it was a setback for the liberation movement, the ANC …" Mabuyakhulu said.

Former eThekwini city manager Dr Mike Sutcliffe said Gordhan was a strategic person and would have understood that "the ANC, to a large extent, deserved what happened" at the elections.

"He would have said that the creation of a Government of National Unity is what we need right now because the ANC needs its own renewal."

Sutcliffe said Gordhan would have welcomed the competition for the ANC and the greater measures of accountability that the GNU created.

"I don't think Pravin would have had any qualms about that, because in the end, the biggest strategy is that we want to address poverty, we want to address unemployment, we've got to address inequality and we still have all three of those in our country.

"The best way to do this is to make sure everyone's part of that organisation and the medium-term plan is going to have to deal with (addressing these issues)," Sutcliffe said.

Ramaphosa said that Gordhan was an activist who was principled and stood firm in the face of state capture.

"During one of the most painful chapters in our democratic history, as the state was being looted by the powerful and connected, he chose to resist."

Ramaphosa said Gordhan was prepared to confront those "who had once been his comrades, whom he had once looked up to as his leaders, but who had abandoned the cause of the people".

"As many others looked away, his revolutionary consciousness demanded no less of him than that he speak out. For him, it was no different to when he joined the Struggle against apartheid; it was a choice between what was right and what was wrong and it was a choice between standing with the people or standing against the people," Ramaphosa said.