SACP Gauteng Province mourns the passing on of comrade Alinah Rantsolase

4 November 2010

SACP Gauteng Province is deeply saddened and shocked by the news of the passing on of comrade Alinah Rantsolase. We send our condolences to the Rantsolase family, relatives, friends and comrades in all organisations she served. Comrade Alinah was elected to the ANC Gauteng Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) in May 2010, Member of Parliament (MP) and Chairperson of the ANC Caucus in Parliament. Before being elected as an MP in 2009, she was COSATU National Treasurer.

We deep our red communist banner in tribute and honour of this former South African Commercial Catering and Allied Workers Union (SACCAWU) shopsteward and worker leader. Throughout her adult life, she understood the importance of workers to be mobilised and organised into strong industrial trade unions to improve their working conditions. She also understood that workers will never improve their situation without a strong and campaigning ANC, SACP and COSATU alliance.

She was working in the retail sector which is characterised by casualisation of workers. As a worker, she was daily at the cold face of the barbaric and parasitic system of exploitation of one person by another. As communists, we take pride in her firm believe that it is possible to build an alternative and caring society. For us, that can only be achieved under a socialist system. She was also a firm believer in the unity of the alliance.

Comrade Alinah joins the world of the departed when we are in the process of preparing for the 2011 local government elections.

Farewell comrade Alinah!

The struggle for a non-racial, non sexist, united, democratic and prosperous South Africa continues!
The struggle for a socialist South Africa continues!

Issued by:
SACP Gauteng Province
For more information, contact:
Jacob Mamabolo (Acting Provincial Secretary) on 0828841868
Pat Ntsobi (SACP Gauteng Provincial Spokesperson) on 072 671-4258