Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan Ridiculed By Wits Students While Warning of State Capture 2.0

• Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan was rudely interrupted while trying to give a speech on Thursday night
• Gordhan was at the Univeristy of Witswatersrand where he warned students in attendance that State Capture version two is coming
• South Africans were mostly divided in opinion about the conduct of the students who heckled Gordhan

JOHANNESBURG - Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan was heckled and threatened by a group of students while he was trying to address the University of Witswaterands students on Thursday, 7 July.

Gordhan's security had to whisk him away from the event as the unruly group hurled racial insults and threatened the minister.

Gordhan was invited by the Wits of Governance and called to speak on the future of state-owned entities and shortly after proceedings began, a member of the Congress of SA Students named Douglas Ngobeni began the name-calling, reports News24.

Read also

National shutdown: Citizens called to take a stand against rising cost of living, fuel prices, blackouts

During his speech, Gordhan warned about the possibility of State Capture Version two, stating that there are political forces that want the return of corruption in SOEs.

When the group of students continued to disrupt Gordhan, he lambasted them and said that they are paid agents of the people who want to continue corrupting SOEs.

"You came here as an organised clique… in order to disrupt. You are the paid servants of the people I am talking about – people who want corruption to continue," said Gordhan.

The attendees who continued to cause chaos at the event also called for Gordhan and Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter to resign. The group added that Eskom should be placed under the Department of Energy and Mineral Resources.

eNCA reports that one student told the Minister to take accountability for his failures and stop blaming State Capture before other students joined in and started chanting that "Pravin Must Fall".

Read also

South African politicians weigh in on Boris Johnson's resignation, some say Ramaphosa is next

Here's a clip from the event:

South Africans react to Pravin Gordhan getting heckled

@HinaThembani said:

"There is nothing to be proud of here - these are just gutter politics I'm afraid - heckling this senior citizen is not cute and is anti-intellectual."

@NgcwinaM said:

"All those who were praising Ian Cameron against Bheki Cele will soon be condemning those Wits students for doing the same thing to Pravin Jamnandas Gordan, just wait and see the hypocrisy from media, feminists and liberals"

@NalaThokozane said:

"Pravin Gordan met young Lions there by Wits and they engaged him appropriately. #Aykhale"

@Jed38111039 said:

"So Pravin is accusing Wits students to be part of state capture? Really? How much more lousy and shallow can Pravin get?"

Gwede Mantashe throws Pravin Gordhan under the bus, blames him for Eskom’s Stage 6 power woes

Briefly News previously reported that Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has refused to resign following a massive public backlash after South Africa was plunged into darkness.

Read also

Mmusi Maimane tells ANC leaders to stop using struggle credentials to avoid accountability amid Cele outburst

Earlier in the week, Eskom announced that Stage 6 loadshedding would be implemented and many South African homes and businesses without power for hours.

Opposition parties pointed out that this was yet another failing of the ANC government and that Mantashe's role as energy minister made him responsible for the power grid.

Source: Briefly News