Former Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan for the first time publicly called on President Jacob Zuma to step down.

He was speaking at a legacy conference on Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg on Tuesday morning.

“I think the president should move aside and let somebody take over this country so that we can fulfil the aspiration that Madiba and his generation had for South Africa.

He was part of a panel on the theme The Negotiated Settlement taking place at Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia, Johannesburg.

Other guests included Roelf Meyer, who took part in the negotiations for a democratic transition, journalist Ranjeni Munusamy, and ANC member Febe Potgieter-Gqubule, hosted by Talk Radio 702 presenter, Eusebius McKaiser.

The panellists discussed the legacy of the late former president, Nelson Mandela, and whether those involved in the settlement, prioritised peace and freedom over justice.

Gordhan said the current generation must take responsibility and stop blaming Madiba for its own failures.

“(We must) stop blaming Madiba for our own human shortcomings, for our own sense of greed, for our lack of respect about what we need to do to build on the foundation that he left for us,” he said.

“So we can’t put our responsibility… on somebody else’s shoulders. If each generation, responsibly, does its piece of work, we will have a great country for probably everybody’s great grandchildren here.”

Gordhan was also emphatic that state capture is a fact and blamed law enforcement agencies for not bringing to book those responsible.

“State capture is telling us, or the notion of state capture is telling us, those who are responsible for bringing people (to book) are the very ones who are refusing to do it. They rather chase some innocent people, get CEOs fired in various places because they stand up for the right thing.”

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