Cape Town - In an effort to continue serving the interests of black people in South Africa, Independent Media executive chairman Dr Iqbal Survé has called out Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan saying he only has interest in seeing Dr Survé’s consortium of businesses, including Sekunjalo Investments, shut down because he did not “toe the line”.
Survé also did not mince his words when he expressed disappointment with incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa's leadership.
He was speaking in what was dubbed “one of the most sought after interviews of the year” with television talk show host Onkgopotse JJ Tabane’s Power to Truth broadcast on Monday night.
Survé is a South African medical doctor, philanthropist and entrepreneur who owns the largest media house in the country but had to fight unending battles with politicians he disagreed with, with the latest challenge seeing Nedbank trying to close his businesses bank accounts.
He singled out Gordhan at the live show, blaming him for the continual onslaught against him and his businesses.
“It’s an abuse of power. Complete abuse of power and it is what we have been facing from all these institutions whether it’s the PIC, controlled by the politicians or whether it’s the banks.
“Do you know that in SA today it’s not a right to have a bank account? Can you tell me; what can you operate in this country without a bank account? The banks in this country have the power of god when they want to shut you down.”
When he was asked by Tabane who it was that would be behind such a thing, Survé called out Gordhan.
He said: “It’s from Pravin Gordhan giving a specific instruction to bank CEOs to say we need to shut down Independent Media.
“We need to put Dr Survé out of business and we need to chase him out of this country because he is a danger.
“He is a role model and all our guys that are behind us, the Afrikaner capital and the ten big families are saying he is the biggest threat.
“If you read his book called ‘Connecting the dots’ he says I (Survé) will pay the price for opposing him (Gordhan).
“I have respect for Gordhan who has done a lot for this country but this is a democratic country, but the brutality of shutting down business in existence for 25 years with 8 and half thousand employees.”
In reference to Ramaphosa, Survé said the instruction came straight from the top.
“There was a specific instruction that came from a specific minister, acting from a specific president.”
“Pravin told me many times that they were against me because I didn’t toe the line.”
Survé expressed disappointment at Ramaphosa and the governing ANC.
“I may have supported the ANC historically. I’m not sure going forward.
“Reality is I believe in our democracy but most importantly I believe in accountability. I believe in the emancipation of our people.
“If I believe the leadership of the ANC is not capable of emancipating our people then I have to find a new political home.
“Ramaphosa has disappointed, but at the end of the day it is in the hands of the electorate of the ANC; they are the members of the ANC.
“Whoever is president I really wish they advance the case of black emancipation.”
Pretoria News