Pravin Gordhan wants ‘smooth transition’ as he retires from politics

The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) has confirmed Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan will retire after the 29 May 2024 general election to prepare the way for the new administration and smooth transition.

The DPE on Friday said Gordhan  “expressed his intention to retire from active politics” when the term of the current administration comes to an end following the national and provincial elections on 29 May.

“Minister Gordhan has led the Department of Public Enterprises since 2018, a tenure that followed a string of other critical leadership roles he previously held in government since the advent of our democracy 30 years ago,” the department said.

Transition

The department said Gordhan’s decision to retire from active politics “is emblematic of the minister’s desire to be candid so that all critical constituencies that relate to his current portfolio are sufficiently informed of his plans.”

“The announcement is intended to set in motion processes to ensure a smooth transition for the minister and the department as it is often the case at the end of every administration.”

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Gordhan won’t be missed

Professor Andre Duvenhage from the North West University (NWU) on Friday told The Citizen that  rumours about Gordhan leaving politics surfaced about a year or more ago.

Duvenhage said he does not believe that Gordhan will be missed.

“The question, are we going to miss Pravin Gordan? I don’t think [so] because of two reasons. One, the problems within the ANC that need to be dealt with are bigger than what Pravin Gordhan can manage.

“Secondly, I think he had his day and he had the opportunity to deal with these issues and he didn’t have huge successes. I think when he was at Sars, he was relatively successful. But when he entered more formal politics as Minister of Finance at this point, Minister of Public Enterprises, I think the pattern was not that healthy,” Duvenhage said.

Trail of destruction

Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has welcomed the news of Gordhan’s retirement.

The red berets said Gordhan’s decision to retire comes after “he left a trail of destruction in South Africa’s strategic state-owned companies.”

“South Africa’s strategic state-owned companies, which are important to any effort to re-industrialise, lie in ruins because of Gordhan.

“The EFF government will ensure that Gordhan is held accountable for the destruction and shoddy dealings, regardless of his retirement. Now that he has completed surrendering public strategic assets, he thinks he can just walk away after having stolen the nation’s future. While we say good riddance, the EFF maintains that we will ensure that he is held accountable,” the party said.

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) said they are “overjoyed” that Gordhan has decided to retire from politics.

“We cannot wait for him to leave, in fact, as Numsa we volunteer to help him pack his bags. It is an absolute pity that he cannot leave sooner,” Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said.

“Just like the hit song by Miley Cyrus, Gordhan came in like a wrecking ball in 2018 and he has wrecked every single State Owned Entity that he touched. We said in our previous statement that he has a ‘deadly Midas touch’ because everywhere he goes, SOE’s collapse and workers suffer,” Hlubi-Majola said.

Gordhan has expressed his desire to prioritise his family and his health following his retirement from active politics.

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