By Rorisang Modiba
Pravin Gordhan, the Minister of Public Enterprises, has decided to retire and won’t be part of the cabinet after the May elections.
He told News24 about his plans to retire after the general elections on 29 May.
Gordhan is well-known for his work with the South African Revenue Service (Sars) and for fighting government corruption as finance minister during president Jacob Zuma’s time.
Gordhan, originally a pharmacist, became involved in politics in the 1960s.
During his term with public enterprises, Eskom and Transnet faced major issues.
Transnet’s rail export volumes decreased from 213 million tons to 149 million tons, contributing to an estimated loss of up to 5% in South Africa’s GDP growth.
Daily losses due to logistical problems in Transnet’s railway lines are reported to be around R1 billion.
Gordhan has also faced criticism for his decision to sell 51% of South African Airways (SAA) to the Takatso consortium. The deal aims at a R3 billion investment into SAA but has yet to be finalised and has been criticised for its lack of transparency.
Pictured above: Pravin Gordhan.
Image source: X
