By Johnathan Paoli
Former North West premier Kaobitsa “Bushy” Maape has died at the age of 68, with his family confirming that the veteran ANC leader passed away peacefully on Saturday following a short illness.
In a statement, Maape’s family said he died surrounded by his family, describing him as “a loving, humble, kind-hearted, and respected man whose presence brought warmth, wisdom and strength to those around him”.
“Bushy will be remembered for his caring nature, his laughter, and the love he shared with family and friends. His memory will forever remain in our hearts, and his legacy will continue through the lives he touched,” the statement read.
The African National Congress (ANC) paid tribute to Maape, hailing him as a freedom fighter, former Robben Island prisoner and loyal servant of the liberation movement.
ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu said the party had learned of Maape’s passing “with a deep sense of loss and sadness”.
“Comrade Maape dedicated his life to the struggle for liberation, the advancement of the people of South Africa, and the empowerment of communities through education, serving the movement with discipline, humility, and unwavering commitment throughout his life,” Bhengu said.
The spokesperson hailed the former premier for his drive for education.
“His passion for education remained a defining feature of his life, as he believed deeply in the power of learning to liberate and uplift communities,” Bhengu said.
The party said Maape’s life represented a generation of ANC cadres who sacrificed for democracy and development in South Africa.
“The ANC dips its revolutionary banner in honour of Comrade Bushy Maape and extends its heartfelt condolences to the Maape family, his comrades, friends, and the people of the North West Province. His life remains a testament to a generation of cadres who sacrificed greatly for freedom, democracy, education, and development in South Africa and yet are not in formal leadership structures,” Bhengu said.
Maape served as the seventh premier of the North West from September 2021 until May 2024, after succeeding former premier Job Mokgoro.
His appointment came during a turbulent period in the province, with the ANC leadership seeking to stabilise governance amid internal party divisions and mounting concerns over failing municipalities and service delivery challenges.
At the time, Maape was widely viewed as a compromise candidate capable of balancing competing ANC factions in the province.
He was officially elected premier by the provincial legislature in September 2021 after Mokgoro stepped down from office.
At the ANC’s North West elective conference in Rustenburg in August 2022, Maape lost the contest for provincial chairperson to former CoGTA MEC Nono Maloyi.
Before becoming premier, Maape occupied several senior positions in government and the ANC.
He previously served as chairperson of the ANC’s Kgalagadi region and held senior administrative posts in the North West provincial government, including director of Reconstruction and Development Programme initiatives and chief director for strategic planning and development in the Premier’s office.
Maape also served on the Ministerial Advisory Committee of the Department of Provincial and Local Government and was a member of the Municipal Demarcation Board representing the North West.
At the height of apartheid rule, while studying at Hebron Training College, he was recruited into underground ANC structures and later commanded the ANC’s underground Kgalagadi machinery.
In February 1986, he was convicted for propagating the aims of the banned ANC and imprisoned on Robben Island, although eventually acquitted on a principal terrorism charge.
He later became one of the first ANC political prisoners released from Robben Island following reforms introduced by former apartheid president FW de Klerk.
Despite his imprisonment, Maape pursued higher education and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Economics through the University of South Africa while incarcerated.
He later obtained honours degrees in Developmental Studies and Economics from the University of the Western Cape and had also been studying towards a Master of Management degree in governance at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Maape was succeeded as North West premier by Lazarus Mokgosi in June 2024 following the provincial elections.
The family indicated that funeral arrangements would be announced at a later stage.
