Anti-Apartheid Stalwart and COPE Founder Mosiuoa Lekota Dies at 77

Mosiuoa Lekota, the founding leader of the Congress of the People (COPE) and a veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle, has died at the age of 77.

IOL understands that Lekota passed away in a Johannesburg hospital in the early hours of Wednesday, following a prolonged illness.

The Early Years

Born in Kroonstad in the Free State, Lekota’s activism began early. He was expelled from the University of the North for his involvement in student politics and the Black Consciousness Movement.

As an organiser of the South African Students’ Organisation (SASO) , he was arrested and sent to Robben Island in 1974.

The Struggle Continues

Released in 1983, he was again imprisoned during the 1985 Delmas Treason Triala landmark case in which 22 leading anti-apartheid activists were charged with treason.

Post-Apartheid Leadership

After South Africa’s transition to democracy, Lekota served as the first democratically elected Premier of the Free State, before being appointed Minister of Defence under President Thabo Mbeki.

The COPE Breakaway

In 2008, Lekota co-founded the Congress of the People (COPE) after breaking away from the African National Congress (ANC), citing a loss of direction within the ruling party. The new party drew significant support in the 2009 elections, becoming the official opposition in several provinces.

The Legacy

Lekota’s life spanned the arc of South Africa’s liberationfrom student activist, to political prisoner, to cabinet minister, to opposition leader.

He was a man who spent years behind bars for his beliefs, then helped shape the new South Africa, and finally broke with his own party to chart a new political path.

The Bottom Line

A struggle veteran. A Robben Island prisoner. A premier. A minister. A founder.

Mosiuoa Lekota’s journey was South Africa’s journeyfrom oppression to freedom, from unity to division, from the struggle for liberation to the struggle for meaning in a new democracy.

He was 77. May his soul rest in peace.

{Source: IOL}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com