Anti-apartheid stalwart Gordhan contributed immensely to shaping the course of democracy

CAPE TOWN - Parliament’s presiding officers have added their voices to the many tributes pouring in for former minister, Pravin Gordhan, on Friday.

It's a place Gordhan spent many hours of his daily life, as far back as 1994 when he was among the first crop of African National Congress (ANC) MPs.

National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza and National Council of Provinces (NCOP) chairperson, Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, said that as an anti-apartheid stalwart, he contributed immensely to shaping the course of democracy.

Gordhan died from cancer on Friday morning, aged 75.

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Right up until a few months before his death, Gordhan appeared before Parliament to account to the legislature on the decisions made in the various executive portfolios he held since first being appointed finance minister in 2009.

Here he delivered national budgets and accounted not only for often unpopular decisions on the country’s finances, and state-owned enterprises, but also joined the dots on state capture and corruption that had gripped the institutions he once ran.

Parliament’s presiding officers on Friday said that Gordhan had laid a firm foundation for legislative reform.

Parliamentary spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo: "His roles in various ministries demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the bettering of public institutions through ethical governance, transparency and economic reform."

In one of his last appearances in Parliament in March, Gordhan faced backlash for refusing to disclose documents for a proposed sale of a major stake in SAA, a deal that would subsequently fall through a week later.

Parliament said that Gordhan would particularly remembered for the reforms he introduced at the revenue service, which set it up to become a world-class tax authority.