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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 praised the late Congress of the People leader Mosiuoa Lekota for his ethical leadership when he was in government at the dawn of democracy. Mashatile delivered the eulogy at Lekota’s funeral service at the Grey Sports Ground in Bloemfontein. Lekota died earlier this month at a hospital in Johannesburg at the age of 77.
WATCH | Deputy President Paul Mashatile says Mosiuoa “Terror” Lekota was a man who told the truth even when it was uncomfortable, adding that his integrity was never for sale. pic.twitter.com/bnsHLiPh7Y
— SABC News (@SABCNews) March 14, 2026
He was the first Free State premier and served as the chairperson of the National Council of Provinces as well as Defence Minister.
Mashatile says Lekota served both the provincial and national governments with distinction.
WATCH | Deputy President Paul Mashatile says Mosiuoa “Terror” Lekota carried a vision of a South Africa that is non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and united pic.twitter.com/bS8qHvEsvY
— SABC News (@SABCNews) March 14, 2026
“As the first Premier of the Free State, Honourable Lekota stepped into a province scarred by apartheid and laid the foundations of a unified, non-racial government. As Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces and later Minister of Defence, he carried the burdens of leadership with dignity. He envisioned a Defence Force not as an instrument of repression, but as a guardian of democracy and peace, a vision that continues to guide us today. His vision was clear – that the strength of a nation lies not in its weapons, but in its ability to reconcile, to heal, and to live in harmony.”
VIDEO| Special Official Funeral Category 2 of struggle veteran Mosiuoa Lekota
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YVUL1dtS2Y
