President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended his message of condolence for COPE leader Mosiuoa Lekota, who died early on Wednesday morning.
In his tribute, Ramaphosa hailed Lekota as a patriot with intellect and a personable nature who fought for an inclusive, non-racial South Africa.
“South Africa has lost a patriot, a freedom fighter and a servant of the people whose life story is closely intertwined with our journey of struggle and the realisation of democracy. His life was one of resilience, courage and steadfast belief in justice,” Ramaphosa said.
“We honour him especially for his principled dedication to non-racialism during our struggle and in a liberated South Africa. We deeply value his service to his home province, where he served as premier, and to our armed forces and our national security in his role as minister of defence.
“He was instrumental in the establishment of the National Council of Provinces, which added a new dimension of democratic inclusion to our parliamentary system and ensured communities all over our country could be heard and represented in our national legislature.
“His establishment of the Congress of the People reflected his commitment to the values and principles by which he had lived, and it added to the diversity of choices presented to the electorate as our democracy matured.”
As the ANC we remember our former national chairperson and extend our condolences and gratitude to his family and comrades for sacrificing their son for a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa. We also extend our condolences to COPE, the party he formed
— Fikile Mbalula, ANC secretary-general
Messages of condolence have poured in since the announcement by the Lekota family.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula took to social media, calling the former ANC chairperson a brother.
Mbalula said Lekota was affectionately known as “Terror” because he struck terror in the heart of the apartheid regime. He said his activism stemmed from his early days in the South African Students’ Organisation and the Black Consciousness Movement in the Vaal Triangle that led to the infamous Delmas treason trial. Lekota, along with Tom Manthata, Popo Molefe and Moses Chikane, were convicted of treason and sentenced to imprisonment on Robben Island.
“He would fondly reflect to us about the moments he met Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu. Comrade Terror was instrumental in the formation and leadership of the United Democratic Front [UDF], which pushed for boycotts and sanctions, heeding the call from Lusaka to make [last apartheid prime minister PW] Botha’s apartheid South Africa ungovernable,” he said.
“As the ANC we remember our former national chairperson and extend our condolences and gratitude to his family and comrades for sacrificing their son for a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa. We also extend our condolences to COPE, the party he formed.”
COPE co-founder Mbhazima Shilowa said this was a difficult moment for the Lekota family and his party. “The family has requested privacy during this difficult time. We should give them space to grieve. May his soul rest in peace,” he said.
Lekota spent eight years in Robben Island. On his release in 1982 he returned to his life of activism and became a leading figure in the UDF, a non-racial mass movement of more than 400 grassroots organisations established in 1983 to oppose the National Party government’s creation of the tricameral parliament, which purported to be racially inclusive.
He served as the first premier in the Free State from 1994 to 1996 before becoming the first chair of the National Council of Provinces from 1997 to 1999.
He founded COPE in 2008 after the ANC’s watershed Polokwane conference which saw the recall of former president Thabo Mbeki.
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