WeeklySA_AdminACTIVISM: From student activist and Robben Island prisoner to defence minister and outspoken parliamentarian, Lekota’s life mirrored South Africa’s turbulent journey from apartheid to democracy…
By Own Corresponden
South Africa has lost one of the towering figures of its liberation generation. Mosiuoa Gerard Patrick “Terror” Lekota — freedom fighter, Robben Island prisoner, cabinet minister and outspoken defender of constitutional democracy — passed away on March 4 at the age of 77. His passing closes a remarkable chapter in the political history of modern South Africa.
For more than half a century, Lekota’s life intersected with the defining moments of the nation’s journey — from the resistance against apartheid to the difficult work of building democratic institutions after 1994. His political career was characterised by courage, fierce independence of thought and a willingness to speak truth to power.
Born on 13 August 1948 in Senekal in the Free State, Lekota grew up in a working-class family as the eldest of nine children. His early years were shaped by the harsh realities of apartheid South Africa, where opportunity was sharply limited for black South Africans. Yet even as a young boy, he displayed determination and leadership qualities that would later define his public life.
He began his schooling at Emma Farm School in Senekal before moving to Kroonstad for primary education. Later he attended Mariazell High School and matriculated at St Francis College in Mariannhill, outside Durban.
Outside the classroom, the young Mosiuoa Lekota was known for his prowess on the football field. His aggressive and fearless style of play earned him the nickname “Terror”, a name that would remain with him throughout his political life and symbolise his fearless activism.
Awakening of a Political Consciousness
Lekota’s political awakening came during his student years at the University of the North (now the University of Limpopo) in the early 1970s. At a time when student politics was becoming a powerful force in the struggle against apartheid, he became active in the South African Students’ Organisation (SASO), the movement associated with the philosophy of Black Consciousness.
When SASO leader Onkgopotse Tiro was forced into exile in 1973, Lekota stepped into an organising role within the movement. It was a period of rising defiance among young activists, and Lekota quickly distinguished himself as a committed and disciplined organiser.
In September 1974, Lekota and eight other leaders of SASO and the Black People’s Convention were arrested after organising rallies celebrating Mozambique’s independence from Portuguese colonial rule. The apartheid state viewed the celebrations — known as the “Viva FRELIMO” rallies — as an act of political defiance. Charged under the draconian Terrorism Act, Lekota was sentenced to imprisonment on Robben Island. He would spend six years there as a political prisoner.
Like many of the generation that passed through the notorious island prison, Lekota used his incarceration as a period of reflection and political education. From prison he wrote a poignant letter to his daughter explaining the reasons for his sacrifice:
“Above all then, my dear, I am in prison for the sake of peace for our country and the world.” Upon his release in 1982, Lekota returned immediately to political activism. The apartheid state was entering its most turbulent phase, and resistance movements were gaining momentum across the country.
In 1983 he became one of the founding members of the United Democratic Front (UDF), the powerful internal anti-apartheid movement that united civic organisations, religious groups and labour activists under the banner of non-racial democracy. He served as the organisation’s national publicity secretary.
The apartheid government responded with repression. In 1985 Lekota and several other UDF leaders were arrested and charged in what became known as the Delmas Treason Trial — one of the most significant political trials of the late apartheid era.
In 1988 he was convicted alongside fellow activists Popo Molefe, Moss Chikane and Tom Manthata. The group was sentenced to lengthy prison terms. However, their convictions were overturned on appeal and they were released in December 1989 after spending four-and-a-half years in detention.
By the time of their release, South Africa was on the brink of dramatic change.
A Leader in Democratic SA
After the unbanning of liberation movements in 1990, Lekota joined the leadership structures of the African National Congress (ANC) and was elected to the party’s National Executive Committee in 1991. Following the country’s first democratic elections in 1994, he assumed a number of influential leadership roles in government.
He served as Premier of the Free State from 1994 to 1996, helping to guide the province through the early years of democratic governance. He later became Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces from 1997 to 1999.
In 1999, President Thabo Mbeki appointed him Minister of Defence, a position he held for nearly a decade until 2008. During this period he also served as National Chairperson of the ANC, one of the most senior leadership positions within the party.
Lekota’s tenure in government coincided with a crucial period of transformation within the South African National Defence Force, as the military integrated former liberation fighters with members of the apartheid-era forces into a single national institution.
A New Party
In 2008 Lekota dramatically resigned from the ANC following internal disputes within the party. In a letter widely referred to as his “divorce letter,” he expressed concern that the movement was drifting away from the values embodied in the Freedom Charter. Soon afterwards he helped convene a People’s Convention that led to the formation of the Congress of the People (COPE), a new political party launched in Bloemfontein in December 2008.
Lekota served for many years as the party’s president and remained an active voice in South African politics, particularly on issues of constitutional democracy, governance and accountability.
Even as political fortunes shifted, he continued to command respect across party lines for his principled stance and fearless participation in parliamentary debates.
A Life Larger Than Politics
Beyond the public stage, Lekota was also known as a devoted family man.
He was married to Cynthia Lekota and was the father of six children and grandfather to five grandchildren. His family remembered him not only as a political figure but as a man of humour, wisdom and quiet personal warmth. He was preceded in death by one of his daughters and three siblings.
Those who knew him often described him as a leader with the resilience of a baobab tree — deeply rooted in principle, able to withstand the storms of political life.
A Patriot Remembered
Lekota’s life traced the arc of South Africa’s modern history: the student rebellions of the 1970s, the repression and imprisonment of the 1980s, and the building of democratic institutions after 1994.
He belonged to a generation that paid a heavy personal price in the struggle against apartheid — a generation that believed that freedom was worth sacrifice. For that reason, his passing evokes a profound sense of loss among comrades, colleagues and citizens alike.
Mosiuoa “Terror” Lekota leaves behind not only a distinguished political record but also a legacy of courage, conviction and public service.
South Africa salutes a patriot who never stopped believing in the promise of a just and democratic nation.
Robala ka kgotso, Tshele.
