Lekota remembered as fearless defender of democracy
· Citizen
One by one, the leading lights of the ANC’s liberation struggle are going out. Yesterday, it was former Cabinet minister Mosiuoa Patrick “Terror” Lekota who died. He was 77.
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Lekota drew tributes from across the spectrum, with the overarching message being that he leaves an unquestionable legacy of unbroken struggle against apartheid and an immense contribution to the country’s democratic dispensation.
His death closes a chapter on a generation of leaders who bridged the liberation struggle and democratic governance.
Lekota’s death marks passing of generation that led liberation into governance
He had not been seen in public for a long time due to an undisclosed illness which, for some time, did not deter him from participating in political life as president of the Congress of the People and a member of parliament for the party.
His political roots were initially in the Black Consciousness Movement, particularly the South African Students Organisation (Saso) and, later, the ANC.
He then rose to prominence as one of the leaders of the United Democratic Front (UDF), which was regarded as an internal wing of the ANC.
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President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “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 a steadfast belief in justice.”
The president acknowledged Lekota’s “instrumental role” in the formation of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), ensuring communities countrywide were heard and represented in the national legislature.
‘Instrumental role’ in NCOP formation
Born on 13 August, 1948 in Kroonstad, Lekota did his primary education at Susanna Farm School before attending Mariazell High in Matatiele. He enrolled in a private school, St Francis College in Mariannhill in 1969, where he obtained his matric.
After he enrolled at the University of the North, Lekota was influenced by Saso and Black Consciousness, which got him noticed by the apartheid authorities. His activities in the student representative council and Saso led to him being expelled in 1972.
He became Saso’s permanent organiser but was arrested in 1974 and jailed on Robben Island for “conspiring to commit acts endangering the maintenance of law and order”.
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In the prison, he was attracted to the ANC due to the influence of ANC stalwarts like Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki and Walter Sisulu, who recruited him into the organisation.
He was one of the leaders who formed the UDF in the ’80s.
At the Delmas Treason Trial from 1985-88, Lekota, Popo Molefe and Moss Chikane were charged with treason, subversion and murder. Lekota was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment for treason.
Delmas Treason Trial
The trial emanated from the state’s allegation that they were linked to violent UDF uprisings in the Vaal Triangle, but the sentence was overturned in 1989 and Lekota was released.
In the democratic government, in addition to chairing the NCOP and being Free State premier, Lekota became ANC national chair elected alongside Thabo Mbeki, who replaced Mandela as ANC president in 1997.
He served under Mbeki as minister of defence from 1999 until 2008, when he resigned and then quit the ANC, along with his former defence deputy, Mluleki George, and Cosatu president Willie Madisha, to form a new party, after accusing the newly elected Jacob Zuma-led ANC leadership of deviating from party principles.
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Former Cosatu secretary-general Mbhazima Shilowa, who was then Gauteng premier, later also resigned from the ANC and was elected as co-president of the Congress of the People (Cope), alongside Lekota in December 2008.
But Lekota and Shilowa got embroiled in a long leadership squabble that resulted in the party losing membership and votes, dropping from 30 MPs in 2009 to six in 2014 and, subsequently, to just two in 2019. The party currently has no MPs.
When the battle moved to the courts Lekota triumphed as the courts confirmed him as Cope’s rightful leader.
Fearless activist
But, in recent years, Lekota was accused by fellow national executives and regional structures of being divisive and responsible for the party’s slow death.
His broader legacy, however, is of a fearless activist, a defender of democratic institutions and a politician of principle.