The founding speaker of the democratic National Assembly, Frene Ginwala has died.
The Presidency announced in a statement that Ginwala, 90, died on Thursday following a stroke two weeks ago.
In his tribute, President Cyril Ramaphosa said her dedication to justice and democracy around the world remained an impassioned objective to her dying day.
Ginwala was born on 25 April 1932 in Johannesburg, and her pursuit for social justice and equality began at an early age. She was prevented from attending racially exclusive schools.
She later left the country to pursue a Bachelor of Laws at the University of London, and later completed her Doctorate in Philosophy at the University of Oxford before returning to South Africa in the 1950s.
She returned to continue with the liberation struggle and participated in the activities of the Congress Movement.
Ginwala was instrumental in arranging safe passage for Oliver Tambo and other key freedom fighters who escaped to establish the liberation struggle while in exile.
Ginwala set up and developed the Tanzanian communications system under the tutelage of then-President Julius Nyerere, at a time when most ANC top leaders were exiled in neighbouring Lusaka during apartheid.
‘Doctor Ginwala was influential and instrumental in shaping the advancement of democracy and the entrenchment of democratic political processes and fundamental socioeconomic rights in the Southern African Development Community’, said spokesperson for the presidency Vincent Magwenya.
‘SA has lost another giant, among a special generation of leaders to whom we owe our freedom. To whom we owe our commitment to keep building the South Africa to which they devoted their all’, he said.
[Photo: Gallo Images / City Press / Lucky Nxumalo]