The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said on Friday it will “not shed a tear for the likes of former Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan”, nor will it celebrate the “false legacies created by his apologists”.

Gordhan passed away in the early hours of Friday morning, following a period of illness.

In a statement, the EFF said it noted Gordhan’s death “without any pretence of sorrow”, describing the former Minister as the embodiment of greed, corruption and elitism.

“His death comes before he could face justice, but those left behind will continue to suffer the consequences of his betrayal as a Minister of Public Enterprises. Gordhan's legacy is one of failure, exploitation and corruption. May we never allow another Pravin Gordhan to rise again,” said the EFF.

It believes his legacy is intertwined with the destruction of the country’s State-owned enterprises and the betrayal of the people of South Africa.

“We cannot mourn counter progressive forces that stood against the potential of building a successful, sovereign country that serves its people. Instead we are reminded of the “wreckage he leaves behind--wreckage that has ravaged the lives of ordinary South Africans”, the red berets said.

The party will remember Gordhan for “stifling the growth of the nation, destroying the hopes of millions, and enabling the collapse of the country’s State entities”.

The party noted that Gordhan’s rise within the ranks of the African National Congress (ANC) led to his appointment as the Minister of Finance in 2009 under President Jacob Zuma, a position he held until 2014, and then again from 2015 to 2017 after briefly stepping down.

However, the EFF said that Gordhan had already been pointed out earlier for his “destructive role” in the struggle for liberation when he was allegedly named by ANC president Oliver Tambo as a key member of the secret Indian cabal of the 1980s.

“Later on, Gordhan also admitted to the formation of the notorious rogue unit within South African Revenue Service (Sars) which terrorised political rivals on behalf of white monopoly capital, and which Commander-in-Chief Julius Malema was a target of,” the party said.

In 2018, Gordhan was appointed Minister of Public Enterprises under President Cyril Ramaphosa, a move, which the EFF said signalled his role in "cleaning up" the very State-owned enterprises that it believes later deteriorated under his leadership.

“It is here, in his final public role, that Gordhan would preside over the disintegration of South Africa's most critical State assets. His tenure as Minister of Public Enterprises was a period of unparalleled disaster for every State-owned enterprise he touched. Under his leadership, Eskom became a shadow of its former self, plunging this country into a permanent state of loadshedding,” the EFF said.

The party accused Gordhan of “brazenly” refusing to account to South Africans.

“When summoned to appear before Parliament – the very institution through which he was supposed to answer to the people of South Africa – he arrogantly and unapologetically declared that he would not comply showing his utter disdain for the people of South Africa,” the EFF stated.

It believed that Gordhan had “unchecked power” that it says “allowed him to operate with impunity.”

“…and now he dies with his crimes unpunished,” the EFF said,

“Every collapsed enterprise and every failure that left hundreds of thousands unemployed is part of Pravin Gordhan's shameful legacy. As an unapologetic instrument of capitalism, he deliberately dismantled the very entities meant to uplift and develop our nation. His actions directly contributed to the high levels of unemployment, leaving countless families who are still suffering in silence. Gordhan betrayed the workers, the poor, and the oppressed, and he did so without a shred of remorse,” the EFF said.