SACP’s Mashilo says last conversation with Gordhan was about ANC’s declining integrity

JOHANNESBURG - The South African Communist Party (SACP)’s Alex Mashilo says the last conversation he had with the late Pravin Gordhan was about the African National Congress (ANC)'s declining integrity.

Mashilo was speaking during the former minister's memorial service at the Johannesburg City Hall on Tuesday, where ANC supporters gathered to pay their respects.

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Gordhan died last week at the age of 75 after a short battle with cancer.

Mashilo said Gordhan was of the view that some senior ANC members were to blame for the party’s dismal performance during the last elections.

“When a movement from which others take their cue, is experiencing a fall from the historical rise and fall cycle, you must know we are facing a serious challenge. That is what preoccupied our strategic reflections when I met with comrade PG [Pravin Gordhan] at the Union Buildings after the inauguration of President Cyril Ramaphosa.”