Lekota was a towering figure of SA’s liberation struggle: Mashatile

Deputy President Paul Mashatile speaks at late Congress of the People (COPE) leader Mosiuoa Lekota’s Special Official Funeral at the Old Grey Sports Ground in Bloemfontein on March 14, 2026.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has described the late Congress of the People (COPE) leader Mosiuoa Lekota as a towering figure of South Africa’s liberation struggle and democratic state.

Mashatile delivered the eulogy at his Special Official Funeral at the Old Grey Sports Ground in Bloemfontein.

Among the mourners were former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Matlanthe, and Free State Premier MaQueen Joyce Letsoha-Mathae.

Lekota passed away last week aged 77 at a Johannesburg hospital after a long illness.

Mashatile says Lekota was a giant whose life was defined by uncompromising dedication to justice and service to the people.

He says he lived in pursuit of a better country marked always by honesty, integrity, courage and understood that leadership is not command but service.

“For him, democracy was never a distant set of rules, it was a living instrument to transform the lives of ordinary citizens. He dedicated himself to ensuring that the Constitution became a shield for the vulnerable and a bridge across the chasm of inequality. He remained an outspoken voice, reminding all of us that democracy requires vigilance and principled leadership.

In the democratic era, Mr Mosiuoa Gerard Patrick “Terror” Lekota served as the first Premier of the Free State (1994–1996), the inaugural Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (1997–1999), and Minister of Defence from 1999 to 2008.

Mr Lekota dedicated his life serving… pic.twitter.com/FGHV82jaz5

— Paul Mashatile🇿🇦 (@PMashatile) March 14, 2026

HUMAN RIGHTS

Mashatile says as the country marks Human Rights Month his passing compels us to ask ourselves whether we are living up to the promise of the rights and freedoms for which he laboured?

He says the question demands deep introspection and a honest reflection of the progress that has been made in the lives of the citizens.

“Indeed, we have walked far since 1994, but we cannot yet claim to have arrived. How can we say we are there when a child who has met every requirement for a degree still stands on the verge of opportunity, with no unemployment? “How can we say we are there when Gender‑based Violence (GBV) remains one of South Africa’s most devastating and persistent human rights violations?”

CONSTITUTIONALISM

Mashatile says Lekota was a leader whose moral authority flowed not from office but from service.

“Not from title, but from trust; not from privilege, but from the people. His life reminds us that true leadership is not measured by titles, but by values upheld and trust earned.”

He says Lekota was a man who told the truth even when it was uncomfortable.

“Most of us sitting here are aware that Ntate Lekota spoke truth to power even when it came at great personal cost to his political career. In the ANC and in opposition benches, he acted with deep-seated integrity, embodying the belief that public office is a calling to serve the people, not oneself.”

GLOBAL CONFLICT

Mashatile says regarding global conflict, Lekota would remind leaders that democracy and sovereignty must be defended through dialogue not domination.

He says his refrain would echo that true strength lies not in weapons but in the ability to reconcile, to heal and to move forward together.

Mashatile adds, “The world does not need war. We do not need any violence and destruction. What humanity needs is the courage to resolve our differences in peace, in negotiation, and in diplomacy. This was the conviction that Ntate Lekota carried that dialogue is stronger than division, that reconciliation is greater than retaliation and that peace is the highest form of justice.”