The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) notes, with immense grief, the passing of Mosioua “Terror” Lekota, a long-serving public representative and political figure in democratic South Africa.
Born on 13 August 1948 in Kroonstad in the Free State, Lekota became politically active as a student and was drawn into the liberation movement at a young age. While studying at the University of the North, his involvement in student leadership structures and Black Consciousness-aligned activism placed him in direct conflict with apartheid authorities, resulting in his expulsion. He went on to play an organising role within the South African Students’ Organisation (SASO), at a time when student politics formed a critical pillar of resistance against white minority rule.
In 1974, he was sentenced to imprisonment on Robben Island for his political activities. He spent nearly a decade incarcerated before his release in the early 1980s. Soon after regaining his freedom, he was again targeted by the apartheid state and charged in the Delmas Treason Trial of 1985, one of the regime’s major prosecutions against anti-apartheid activists. That case led to another lengthy period of imprisonment.
After his release and the unbanning of liberation movements, Lekota rose through political leadership structures in the ANC and, following the democratic breakthrough of 1994, was appointed Premier of the Free State, serving from 1994 to 1998. In that role, he was part of the first generation tasked with establishing provincial governance in the new constitutional order.
He later served as Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, strengthening Parliament’s role in representing provincial interests at national level. From 1999 to 2008, he was appointed Minister of Defence, overseeing the South African National Defence Force during a period of restructuring and integration in the post-apartheid era.
In 2008, amid political tensions within the ANC following the recall of President Thabo Mbeki, Lekota broke ranks and became a founding leader of Congress of the People (COPE). That split marked a significant moment in South Africa’s post-1994 political realignment, and Lekota remained active in opposition politics thereafter, serving as a Member of Parliament for several terms.
His political life reflected both the unity forged in the struggle against apartheid, the divisions that emerged in the democratic era over the direction of the country, and the necessity of strong robust opposition politics.
The EFF acknowledges his years as a liberation activist and political prisoner, as well as his service in various public offices. We extend our condolences to his family, friends, former comrades and the country at large.
May his soul rest in revolutionary peace.
The EFF has a strong presence in student politics, particularly on university campuses.
Clang Glyph
Fun South African Fact: Bones found in South Africa help support the theory that modern humans originated in Africa.
Sun Washer
Fun South African Fact: South Africa’s natural and human fossil history dates back hundreds of thousands, even millions, of years. Early dinosaur fossils have been discovered in the Western Cape and up to 80% of mammalian fossils found so far have been discovered in the Karoo.