Gordhan ‘exposed as racist and dangerous’

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Published Dec 2, 2020

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Durban - The cross-examination by advocate Dali Mpofu at the Commission of Inquiry into State capture on Monday exposed Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan “to be nothing short of petty, jealous, racist and dangerous”.

Political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe said Mpofu’s cross-examination did not take long to expose Gordhan’s “ugly side”.

“A man who has been riding on the high horse of political morality was exposed to be nothing short of petty, jealous, racist and dangerous. It was a pitiful sight to watch Minister PravinGordhan, ‘the high priest of BantuBlackpurging in SOEs’, squirm under cross-examination by advocate Mpofu.

“For too long he has been allowed to level accusations against all. He had become untouchable. In his maniac obsession of finding everyone wanting but himself, he has been emboldened by the now known motley of journalists and analysts that had been eating out of his hand,” said Seepe yesterday.

The cross-examination was to establish the basis of the testimony Gordhan gave against former SA Revenue Service (Sars) commissioner Tom Moyane two years ago. “By the end of the day, the tables had turned,” Seepe said.

“The hunter had become the hunted, unable to cover his tale. Only frustrated and helpless anger remained. For all his huffing and puffing Gordhan couldn’t answer a simple basic question – does he have any evidence to back his accusation that Moyane had used his position to advance State capture?

Under fierce cross-examination the arrogant minister conceded that he had none.”

He said after years of denying the existence of a rogue unit at Sars, Gordhan acknowledged that it also had no statutory foundations, and this, on its own, suggested that its establishment was unlawful.

“If anything, Gordhan went rogue in his determination to pursue whatever he thought served his interests. Advocate Mpofu was perhaps referring to this egomaniacal inclination when he accused Gordhan of suffering from a ‘god complex’,” he said.

He said the Nugent Commission of Inquiry into tax administration and governance by Sars was arguably established to get rid of Moyane.

“It is easy to simply accuse people in this country when you are a Gordhan,” he said.

“No evidence is required. Interesting when Gordhan is pressed for evidence he relies on some dubious statement that we should connect the dots. It was very clear that this time he couldn’t connect the dots.

“Not long ago, he failed to answer a simple question from BBC journalists on whether he has concrete evidence pointing to corruption by ... Jacob Zuma.

Instead of answering a simple straight question, he went on to mumble some incomprehensible nonsense. The fact that he keeps getting away with this behaviour of accusing people reflects the depth to which journalism has sunk in this country. You are guilty by virtue of mere accusations.”

Xolani Dube, of the Xubera Institute for Research and Development, said “everything about the commission is political. Whatever outcomes there will be based on political power relations”.

He said if the commission was about dealing with corruption less time would be wasted and people would be arrested.

“Even the commissioner is becoming hostile to certain groups, and unfortunately we the people will never know the truth about the issues brought before this commission,” he said.

The Daily News

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