Thorn in Zuma’s side

When he was finance minister, Pravin Gordhan refused to approve a number of transactions, leading to a breakdown in his relationship with former president Jacob Zuma. He declined an application by former energy minister Ben Martins for the Treasury to guarantee R20bn to PetroSA to purchase a majority stake in Engen. He refused to sign off on a joint venture between Denel and Gupta-linked VR Laser Asia, and snubbed an event hosted by the Guptas’ New Age newspaper