Despite criticism from inside the ANC camp on using public platforms to spread anti-Zuma rhetoric, former finance minister Pravin Gordhan has been speaking at various memorials for late struggle stalwart Ahmed Kathrada across the country.
One such memorial was held at the St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town on Thursday afternoon where hundreds of citizens gathered to honour the 87-year-old leader who passed away in March as a result of complications following brain surgery.
Pravin Gordhan, the minister who was sacked last week by President Zuma – an action that shocked the entire country and led to global rating agency S&P declaring junk status on South Africa, was the keynote speaker at the memorial and made it clear that he stood for the ANC of Mandela, Sisulu and Kathrada. ‘We can speed up the process of history … if we stick together,’ he said, conceding that the past 15 months have been tough.
Fasiha Hassan, a student leader in the #FeesMustFall protests at Wits University in 2015, also spoke at the service, emphasising Uncle Kathy’s – as Kathrada was affectionately known – support of the #FeesMustFall movement. Hassan also criticised the ruling party for allowing factional conflict to affect the people of the nation.
Other speakers included Father Michael Weeder, Jeremy Cronin from the SA Communist Party, Nokuthula Nqaba of the Western Cape ANC, Vuyiseka Dubula from the Treatment Action Campaign and Eddie Daniels, a prisoner incarcerated with Kathrada.
Here, a look at images at the gathering at St George’s Cathedral today:
Photography Yazeed Kamaldien