Parliament mourns struggle stalwart Rebecca Kotane

Parliament has said it is mourning the loss of struggle stalwart Rebecca Kotane, and described her as “selfless and brave”.

The wife of late former South African Communist Party (SACP) leader Moses Kotane died on Sunday, just days before what would have been her 109th birthday.

Parliament’s presiding officers, led by National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise and National Council of Provinces Chairperson Amos Masondo, described Kotane as fearless and selfless.

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“Mme Kotane comes from a selfless and brave generation of women who were at the forefront of bringing about a democratic, non-racial and free South Africa. She was for many years a thorn in the side of the brutal apartheid system, and boldly confronted its rulers – including taking the battle to their doorstep during the historic 1956 Women’s March to the Union Buildings,” the presiding officers said in a statement.

“It is fearless women like Mme Kotane who rejected the status quo and inspired generations of freedom fighters, who made the democracy we enjoy today possible,” they said.

Kotane took part in the defiance campaigns in the 1950s, and mobilisation efforts towards the adoption of the Freedom Charter in 1955.

News24

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