A trained pharmacist, Gordhan was the first commissioner of the South African Revenue Service and helped turn it into a world leader.
He became a lightning rod for vicious attacks and racial slurs because of his firm resistance to state capture, the project of grand corruption facilitated by former president Jacob Zuma, acting in concert with the Gupta extraction enterprise and various ANC patronage networks. Gordhan was removed as finance minister shortly after the 2014 national and provincial elections, with Zuma moving him to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. He was replaced by Nhlanhla Nene, who was until then chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance.
He turned Treasury into the most transparent of government departments to shore up his defences against the relentless campaign by Zuma. In May 2016, he issued a remarkable statement calling on the public to"defend National Treasury and its employees", who were trying their best"under extraordinary circumstances".
Gordhan's stance on state capture, Zuma and rampant corruption regularly made him the target of not only internal ANC opponents, but opposition parties such as the EFF.
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