Pravin Gordhan
2016 NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR: Courage under fire
Pravin Gordhan was always seen as an excellent administrator but it wasn’t until the minister of finance was thrown into the ring with the controversial businessmen, the Gupta brothers, that South Africans discovered what steel the man was made of
In a year in which he saw off blatant political harassment and intense ratings pressure, finance minister Pravin Gordhan has been a revelation. Adversity has turned him from a grey-suited bureaucrat into the nation’s foremost hero. Over the past year he has proved a master of fiscal management, public relations, political strategy and the building of stakeholder co-operation. Not only does he deserve the title of the Financial Mail’s Newsmaker of the Year, Gordhan should also get SA’s "Courage Under Fire Award", suggests former finance minister Trevor Manuel. Manuel says Gordhan has succeeded in the most challenging of all cabinet positions without any of the usual support structures on which the position relies. Even in normal times the finance minister has to have the complete backing of the head of government to operate effectively. Without it, he is an extremely lonely figure.While Gordhan has manifestly lacked support from the very top, and the full co-operation of the tax auth...
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