By Alicia Mmashakana
President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his profound sadness at the death of Gertrude Shope, who was an educator, freedom fighter, trade unionist and former Member of Parliament. She was 99.
“We have lost an eminent national heroine and mother to our nation. During a lifetime of close on a century, Ma Shope made a monumental contribution to our struggle for a free and inclusive South Africa, while inspiring generations of women and men to emulate her commitment.”
Ma Shope, as she was popularly known, received the official Order for Meritorious Service (Silver) in 2003, which acknowledges South Africans who had performed exemplary public service and predates the current National Orders.
Her sacrifice, service and revolutionary courage manifested in organisations such as the African National Congress where she was elected president of the ANC Women’s League in 1990, the Federation of South African Women, the World Federation of
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