FUAD CASSIM: Pravin Gordhan: an unconventional finance minister

Pravin Gordhan was an exceptional and rare human being. I had the privilege and honour to work with him as his special adviser for several years after his appointment as minister of finance in 2009.

Our relationship goes back more than 40 years as fellow activists in various organisational structures that worked towards mass mobilisation in the struggle against apartheid injustices. It continued after our time in the Treasury, including during the infamous “weekend special” catastrophe when we were fired and reappointed after four days in December 2015.

There are three words that characterise Pravin for me. Courage, conviction and integrity. His courage stood out in the fact that he was ready for any challenge to advance social and economic justice. His conviction was demonstrated by a consistent and vigorous stance on key issues of social justice and combating corruption. His integrity, ethical stance and fearlessness are what define him — qualities that escape many politicians.

He stood firm and upheld moral principles derived from a Gandhian ethos. With these principles he played a seminal role in the underground movement as an ANC cadre. 

Upon being appointed as his adviser our relationship quickly transformed from fellow activists to a deeply intellectual one where Pravin wanted to question and interrogate everything from the global economy to microeconomic issues. In the process, he constantly challenged me and in turn I challenged him. An adviser’s role is not that of a sycophant.

He had a formidable intellect, a strategic and sharp mind, which was greatly admired by ministers of finance in the global north and south.

Pravin made copious amounts of notes with pen and paper always at hand. He constantly asked me for briefing notes on global economic issues and their potential impact on the domestic economy. A consummate strategist, he was always looking and searching for new ideas and practices in economic and social policy. My notebooks are full of questions he would raise with me and the executive team he regularly met. He looked for new ideas well beyond the Treasury and regularly engaged with international scholars and experts in economic policy, whose tremendous respect he garnered.

Pravin was a reluctant politician — he saw himself pre-eminently as an activist and organisational leader. I had difficulty understanding this since he occupied what was a political office.

I now understand this because political elites have lost public trust. They, like other elites, lie, cheat and incite violence. 

In this context what stands out for me as his most admirable qualities are: 

• Pravin despised using political office for personal enrichment, he stood for societal wellbeing. 

• He rejected the status quo and always looked for ways of improving the lot of downtrodden and poor. 

• Regular solutions were never good enough. He always wanted new ideas that were supported by empirical evidence and innovation. 

• He was appalled by rent-seeking, but cherished growth and development. 

The activist and humanitarian dimension of his personality is borne out by the fact that he departed from the conventional wisdom of ministers of finance. Usually, finance ministers are preoccupied by the growth rate, balancing the national budget, the rate of investment, the national debt, and so on. Meaningful change for the majority, however, remained uppermost in his plans. 

Pravin once asked me what could be done directly to advance economic development and opportunities in the townships. I organised a workshop on “township economic development”. We chose Diepsloot and brought together five economists from India, China, Brazil and Cameroon.

I joined these economists on a walking tour of Diepsloot and discovered a range of entrepreneurial initiatives. They simply needed a helping hand from the government to upgrade and harness the entrepreneurial project. A little imagination could change the quality of their lives. Pravin was convinced that we were just not doing enough with the resources at our disposal. This to me reflects his humanity, vision and agency for change in our country. He wanted to make a difference to drive what we call inclusive growth. 

About a month ago, a few of us were confidentially alerted to his failing health. I visited him immediately along with Ismail Momoniat and Mohamed Bhaba. We expressed our shock and sadness, but he continued to talk about national issues and the state of our country. 

Thereafter, I visited him regularly, and on one occasion suggested that we should go out for something to eat. He said: “I don’t feel strong enough, but let’s sit at home and talk in the lounge.” His dear wife, Vanitha, his formidable partner in every way, brought us tea and snacks. He fetched a notebook and called it “Dialogues with Fuad”. As usual, the conversation ranged from global geopolitics to SA’s situation.

Pravin had to be hospitalised last weekend. I went to see him and immediately he started talking about an article I had sent him by John Kay. He told me that we needed to discuss the article as it offered a new prognosis of how we understand the changing dynamics of global capitalism.

This was Pravin Gordhan, constantly engaged and wanting to probe, inquire and learn. 

The next day, when I visited him in hospital with Momoniat, he was still lucid and his last words to us were: “Carry on the struggle and get this country right.” That is what we need to do to continue his profound legacy. 

For me his sudden passing, is a profound personal loss. I owe much to Pravin Gordhan for being not only an intellectual soul mate but also a close friend. I wonder where I will find another extraordinary and bold leader, who tolerated no mediocrity. My profound and deepest sympathies to his dearest family and to the activists and friends who will miss Pravin.

He is indeed irreplaceable. May your soul rest in peace, my dearest friend. 

• Cassim is an economist and was a special adviser to the minister of finance from 2010 to 2015.