WATCH | 'He was first and foremost an amazing father'

Cape Town — Following the death of Pravin Gordhan on Friday morning, his daughter bravely shared how she and the family are feeling after their tragic loss.

Gordhan passed away in the early hours of Friday morning when he was admitted to hospital earlier this week after being diagnosed with cancer. He was surrounded by his family and friends in his final moments and, throughout the day on Friday, he was honoured with an outpouring of tributes by current and former African National Congress (ANC) members.

Speaking to Newzroom Afrika following his death, Gordhan’s daughter, Priyesha Gordhan, explained what she would miss most about her father, how the family felt robbed that they could not spend more time with him, and how the attacks on him and his name affected the family.

“At this moment it’s still surreal and I think there is a great part of my processing that’s still in the denial phase. He had just retired and we were expecting to have a lot more time with him. If you heard him speak in the last few years, his priority was to spend more time with his family,” she said.

[WATCH] #Newzroom405‘s @imanrappetti sits down with anti-apartheid struggle veteran Pravin Gordhan’s daughter Priyesha Gordhan. She says they feel robbed as a family by Gordhan’s death who had just retired from active politics, adding that they were looking forward to spending… pic.twitter.com/VP6xA876PU

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) September 13, 2024

Priyesha explained that she was incredibly close to her father, describing him as her best friend and anchor of the family.

“He was known for his intellectualism and strategic thinking, but to me had the most kind and generous heart. We used to stay up at night and watch movies together,” she explained.

“I’ve been feeling strange about sharing him with the country, and as much as I am proud of his profile, he was first and foremost an amazing father,” she added.

She was grateful for the role he played in her life and the way he loved her and her mother. She explained that it was hard to pick one thing she would miss about him but would miss the future she and her dad would be able to share.

“I will miss what could have been, but I am immensely proud to have been his daughter and in that, I have a great sense of peace and strength because I know what he would want for me moving forward,” she added.

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