The truth has set Gordhan free
FORMER finance minister Pravin Gordhan has certainly given new meaning to the biblical quotation: “The truth shall set you free.”
When faced with a torrent of damning allegations linking him to the controversial South African Revenue Service “rogue unit” and his good name dragged through the mud by elements hellbent on removing him from control of the Treasury, he remained stoically cool because he knew he had the truth on his side.
He knew he was dealing with a deliberate and craftily orchestrated campaign of smears, half-truths, deceptions and even direct lies aimed at turning public opinion against him and his trusted colleagues who were involved in a vigorous battle against state capture and rampant corruption in government.
His detractors wanted him out of the cabinet, and they succeeded when Gordhan was fired as minister by President Jacob Zuma in a controversial cabinet reshuffle in March.
But, as they say in the classics, what goes around comes around.
Last week, we saw the audit giant KPMG on its knees and confessing that its evidence did not support the interpretation that Gordhan knew, or ought to have known of the “rogue” nature of this unit.
In a grovelling retraction, the firm has offered to repay Sars the R23 million fee received for the extensive work it performed.
What’s also significant is KPMG’s pledge to donate a further R40m it received from the notorious Gupta family over the years for work done so that it can be used for education and for organisations fighting corruption in the country.
In addition, eight senior executives of the company have been forced out in a major shake-up. But all that is far too little too late. The audit company’s link with the Guptas – who are embroiled in serious allegations of corruption and state capture that run into billions – are not recent. They date back to 2002.
As Gordhan told a meeting in Kharwastan in Durban on Saturday, KPMG still has some answering to do because “there is a lot more to come out which will show that the current KPMG report is still a cover-up, it is far less than adequate”.
Some people may say Gordhan has now been exonerated. They are wrong, because he was never guilty of anything to be exonerated of in the first place.
As Gordhan has said, South Africa can well do without companies like KPMG, and even the public relations giant Bell Pottinger, who come here to “mess around with our democracy”.