South Africa’s Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan is in the eye of the storm after he and several other former revenue service officials have been implicated in an investigation into the establishment and conduct of a now disbanded unit that operated within South African Revenue Services. The FM is now seen as a suspect after initial public statements by the Hawks that he was not.
The Helen Suzman Foundation and Freedom Under Law have asked Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to give an undertaking not to arrest Gordhan without prior warning.
The organisations believe the case against the minister is without any foundation and any threat or attempt to arrest him would amount to an abuse of process, intended to harass, humiliate and intimidate him.
The lobby groups say they are prepared to go to court if the Hawks and the NPA do not commit to an undertaking.
The organisations want Gordhan to be given at least 20 days’ notice if he is to be criminally charged in order for him to approach the courts for an interdict.
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema says the real story behind Gordhan is his business interests, which are in conflict with his job, not the allegations against him.
At a briefing in Johannesburg, Malema said: “Pravin has shares in all the companies you can think of, and then we are talking about state capture because the Guptas have captured Zwane. We don’t speak about how the Ruperts and them have captured Pravin and white monopoly capital has captured Treasury.”
The Hawks are South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation which targets organised crime, economic crime, corruption, and other serious crimes referred to it by the President or the South African Police Service.
Central to this is a struggle between President Jacob Zuma, accused of 783 counts of corruption, fraud, money-laundering and tax evasion, and Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan over control of the Treasury.
The Hawks have called in Gordhan for questioning over charges that look fabricated.
Meanwhile, the Treasury have moved to defend Gordhan from allegations that he owned shares in numerous companies and had been captured by white monopoly capital.
Gordhan was still in China for the Group of 20 Summit and could not comment on the allegations made by Malema.
A ministerial aide said Gordhan had retirement savings, like any other responsible citizen.
Gordhan is said to have declared his assets and donations to Parliament’s committee on interests and ethics‚ like any other member.
In last year’s declarations‚ Gordhan disclosed shares‚ gifts, property and retirement funds. He had no contracts‚ trusts or encumbrances to declare.
Pravin Gordhan is an Indian-origin former pharmacist with an anti-apartheid struggle record dating back to the 1960s.
He was Minister of Finance of the Republic of South Africa from 11 May 2009 to 23 May 2014 and was reappointed again as FM in December 2015.
Pravin was born on 12th April 1949 to Rumbaben and Jamnadasbhai Gordhan and is married to Vanitha Raj and has two children. He graduated as a pharmacist from the University of Durban Westville in 1973 and became involved in politics as a student, helping organize opposition to all-white rule for the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party.
Pravin played a key role in negotiations between the ANC and the National Party government (the white supremacist government) leading to South Africa’s first all-race elections in 1994. He was instrumental in negotiations with the Western governments as well.
During the period of apartheid era of the white ruling government, Pravin was detained several times by the then South African police for his revolutionary activities incorporating the African National Congress.
He was Deputy Commissioner for the South African Revenue Service from March 1998 and was Commissioner for the South African Revenue Service from November 1999. He was Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 23 May 2014 to 13 December 2015.
He has a doctorate in both law and commerce.
Pravin’s reappointment as FM again happened under dramatic circumstances amidst economic turmoil. He was the third FM appointed by President Jacob Zuma in a week’s time in December 2015.
Pravin took up the gauntlet to stabilise South Africa’s economy after the Nene debacle. At that time he had the absolute backing of the leadership.
