The ANC has slammed reports that former public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan who is fighting illness in an undisclosed hospital has died.
The Secretary General Fikile Mbalula held an impromptu press briefing at the ANC headquarters in Johannesburg and said Gordhan is alive and getting the best medical care possible.
Earlier in the day there were claims he died with his family denying the reports.
Mbalula visited Gordhan in hospital to convey well wishes and described his condition as “critical”.
“I spoke to him on behalf of the ANC and on my own behalf to wish him a speedy recovery as one of our own,” said Mbalula refusing to reveal whether he was responsive or unconscious.
“He’s critical and in a hospital. As to what kind of help the doctors give him its a private matter. When we say a person is critical it means critical not whether he is conscious or unconscious, we are not going that route of Mandela where there was all these questions,” he said.
Mbalula also defended Gordhan’s legacy which has been called into question by many who believe he among others ran down state owned enterprises and derailed economic transformation.
“We no longer have load shedding, there’s improvements at Transnet so you can see that the government has been intervening not just for the moment but for long term and PG has been part of the turnaround, a true revolutionary,” said Mbalula of a man whose long tenure in government has been marred in controversy including threats of economic sabotage if he was not reinstated after being fired by then president Jacob Zuma who said at the time he was acting on the strength of an intelligence report which fingered Gordhan in espionage.
“You know who is saying all the negative stuff about him because he fought state capture and some of them were not happy so we expect that they will be critical and even wish him death.”
“Anyone who steps up to fight corruption must be celebrated. And we will not fold our arms when such individuals’ history is being re-written and we fold our arms and say: ‘okay, let it pass’.”
Mbalula backed Gordhan as a custodian of truth and praised him for being present in the days of the struggle against apartheid.
Mbalula said the “mischief” against Gordhan’s name was coming from “well-known quarters”.
“And in this particular regard, they’re trying to portray PG as a villain. He’s not a villain; he’s a freedom fighter. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and if PG’s actions of fighting corruption have led to me being affected me as an individual, other people will not feel good about it,” Mbalula said.