There is a story told about Pravin Gordhan walking into the offices of National Treasury in 2009 as the newly-minted minister of finance. He was all gung-ho and ready to implement the agenda of then president Jacob Zuma’s mob.
Trevor Manuel, the finance minister from 1996 to 2009, was seen as Mbeki’s co-driver in the Growth, Employment and Redistribution strategy that was derided as being too conservative by Cosatu, the SACP and other forces on the left.Manuel’s ministry and department were therefore hated by those who displaced Mbeki at the ANC’s 2007 Polokwane conference and replaced him with the one of the filthiest politicians south of the Zambezi.
They dismissed the concerns of the media, analysts, opposition and sound-minded people who were warning of an impending disaster. He quickly fell out with the Zuma acolytes in Cabinet and the ANC’s higher ranks. Some wanted to spend irresponsibly and others simply wanted to steal. He also fell out with his boss, whose sole mission was to steal on his behalf and enable his masters and acolytes to plunder.
In his pea-sized mind, Zuma thought that Nhlanhla Nene – Gordhan’s replacement – who had been an outstanding chair of the finance portfolio committee and a sturdy deputy minister, would have credibility, yet still be pliable The Gordhan who returned to Cabinet in 2018 under Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration was one with a puffed-up head and an air of invincibility. Rumour had it that he and ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe wanted to be recognised as the president’s confidants. This public perception of proximity to the highest office boosted their standing in the fight over the direction of energy policy.