The South African Communist Party (SACP) received the news of the passing on of African National Congress (ANC) stalwart and Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) veteran, Isithwalandwe, Comrade Ruth Mompati, with great sadness. Comrade Ruth Mompati, 89, passed on in the early hours of this morning, 12 May 2015 after fighting a long illness. The SACP sends its heartfelt condolences to the entire family and relatives of Comrade Ruth Mompati. We also extend our condolences to our long standing historical ally the ANC, MK Veterans’ Association, our liberation Alliance and the democratic movement of our country as a whole, for this loss.
The SACP says:
“In memory of Comrade Ruth Mompati, let us build and strengthen the Progressive Women’s movement. Let us deepen our struggle against patriarchal domination, and intensify, on all fronts, the struggle for a completely non-sexist society”.
Comrade Ruth Mompati was actively involved in the historic defiance campaign of 1952. She became a founding member of the Federation of South African Women, and one of the leaders of the historic 9 August 1956 women’s march. In 1992 August, she addressed the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid on the important Question of Women. Following her address, an International Day of Solidarity with the Women of South Africa was declared.
Comrade Ruth Mompati served our liberation Alliance with outstanding dedication. A teacher by profession and long standing ANC National Executive Committee member, Dr Mompati worked with ANC Presidents, Comrades Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela. She served our liberation struggle in exile, where she received military training and was entrusted with the responsibility of secretary and head of women`s section in the ANC National Executive Committee in Tanzania.
Comrade Ruth Mompati never deserted the cause of our struggle for freedom and our liberation movement. She stayed true to the values of our movement to the end!
Upon her return from exile, and after our 1994 democratic breakthrough, she recognised that the struggle was not over. This milestone laid the basis for a new phase to continue the struggle in a different context, after dislodging the apartheid regime. She thus continued serving our people in new, different capacities as defined by the new context and as deployed by our movement.
Mme Mompati was elected and served as a member of our Parliament following our electoral victory in the first democratic elections in 1994. She later served as our country’s Ambassador to Switzerland, from 1996 to 2000. Upon her return from Switzerland, she served as the mayor of Naledi in the North West Province. She made herself available and served as an executive member of MK Veterans’ Association.
The highest honour we can bestow on Comrade Ruth Mompati is to advance the second, more radical phase of our democratic revolutionary transformation of our society to its success.
The SACP says:
Robala ka kgotso Seapara-Nkwe
Issued by the SACP
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Alex Mashilo - Spokesperson
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