Beata Lipman‚ who wrote out the ANC's Freedom Charter by hand‚ has died

09 December 2016 - 19:53 By TMG Digital
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Struggle veteran Beata Lipman‚ who wrote out the orginal 1955 Freedom Charter‚ has died. She was in her late 80s.

Beata Lipman.
Beata Lipman.
Image: Ishvara Dhyan

Tributes to her have been posted on her daughter Jane's Facebook page‚ following her passing on Thursday. David Forbes shared‚ "Dear Jane and family‚ I'm so sorry to hear Beata has passed away. She was always such an inspiration to me‚ a powerful woman who helped shape our history.

I always loved seeing her. Sending you peace and strength at this difficult time" while Martina Maggiacomo‎ posted‚ "Jane and Josh‚ I am terribly sorry for your loss. We are sending all our love and prayers for you all".

The ANC said it “has learnt with sadness and shock the passing of Comrade Beata Lipman".

“The ANC sends its deepest and heartfelt condolences to the Lipman family‚ comrades and friends of the progressive movements throughout the world.”

Lipman didn't just hand write the Freedom Charter - she and her husband Alan played a major role in its drafting.

He was an architect and lecturer who joined the South African Communist Party in 1948 and later the ANC‚ died in January 2013‚ at their home in Johannesburg. They had been married 64 years and had two children. Much of their lives together were spent in exile‚ including in Zambia.

Zweli Mkhize‚ the ANC's treasurer-general‚ paid tribute to Beata Lipman in 2014‚ writing on the party's web page: "I was most excited to meet Beata Lipman‚ the woman who was responsible for handwriting the Freedom Charter.

"She and her husband Alan Lipman played a major role in the drafting of the Freedom Charter in 1955.

"We spent some time talking about her life in exile and her role in the Freedom Charter. It was an absolute honour to have spent that time with a woman who played a role in the foundation of our country’s constitution."

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