STAFF REPORTER|
ANC Deputy Secretary General Jessie Duarte was buried at the Westpark cemetery in Johannesburg in accordance to Muslim rites of passage.
Duarte, who has been on sick leave for months, died at her home in the early hours of Sunday morning after she lost her long battle with cancer at the age of 68.
President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier announced that the state would hold a special official and provincial funeral category 2.
Senior ANC and government leaders who attended Duarte’s funeral included the party’s national chairperson Gwede Mantashe, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, ANC Gauteng provincial chairperson Panyaza Lesufi, suspended Secretary General Ace Magashule and former president Kgalema Motlanthe.
Former president Jacob Zuma also sent a recorded message of condolence through his foundation.
Delivering the eulogy at the funeral on Sunday, Ramaphosa said Duarte’s role in the liberation struggle will never be forgotten.
“Comrade Jessie has run her race, our nation’s thoughts and prayers are with the family at this difficult time.”
“The nation shares in your grief. May you be comforted by the knowledge that the life of this great patriot has inspired us all and her contribution will never be forgotten,” said Ramaphosa.
“May we all strive to honour her life by doing everything within our means, sparing neither strength nor courage, to achieve the free, united and equal society for which she so gallantly fought.”
Ramaphosa said that throughout her life, Duarte was an organiser who mobilised women across the country to resist the restrictions imposed upon them by a racist and sexist political system and a patriarchal society.
“We remember the courage with which she spoke against the abuse of women not just by the apartheid security forces, but within the ranks of the liberation movement itself.”
“Even in the democratic era, Jessie was relentless in advancing the position of women in all areas of public and private life.”
“It’s difficult to imagine the ANC without her. It’s unthinkable that we will never hear her voice again,” said Ramaphosa.
“She served the people of South Africa with distinction, humility and dedication. That’s why it was easy for me to declare an official funeral. Dynamites come in small packages. She was a well packaged revolutionary dynamite.”
ANC Treasurer General Paul Mashatile said a week of mourning has been declared following the death of Duarte.
Mashatile said Duarte was the pillar of the organisation’s administration.
“She vindicated herself in all responsibilities as a dependable and principled leader who spoke her mind within the confines of our platforms. She is certainly one of the best deputy secretary-generals the ANC has ever had. Her loss will reverberate in all our structures and will leave a huge void as we confront challenges within the movement,” said Mashatile.
“Her passing is indeed a huge loss that will not go unnoticed to the ANC and the people who came to know her personally.”
Congress of South African Trade Union (COSATU) also paid tribute to Duarte, saying she served the ANC with merit and aplomb at many levels.
“Her many years of activism saw her rise from building the then Federation of Transvaal Women, to being active in the United Democratic Front, and working with the late Beyers Naude to empower young people with educational opportunities; to rising to the most senior ranks in the liberation movement and the democratic government,” said Cosatu.
“She was also a great proponent and champion of women holding leadership positions in the movement and society in general. She despised racism ad tribalism and did not shy away from calling his own comrades and organisation if she detected any hint of these demons in their conduct. She was not afraid to say exactly how she felt on an issue.”
Born in Johannesburg on September 19, 1953, Duarte worked as a management accountant, helped establish women’s structures for the ANC in the 1970s and 1980s, and was detained without trial.
She later became a leading figure in the anti-apartheid United Democratic Front.
Mandela appointed her as special assistant when he was freed from jail in 1990, a position she held until he became president.
Duarte was elected to the PEC of Gauteng in 1990 and served as MEC for Safety and Security in the first Gauteng government in 1994.
Duarte was also deployed in the Foreign Affairs Department and served as South Africa’s High Commissioner to Mozambique.
Upon her return from her international deployment, she was appointed as the national Spokesperson of the ANC before being deployed as a Chief Operations Officer in the country’s Presidency in Pretoria until she resigned in April 2010.
She was elected Deputy Secretary-General of the ANC at the 53rd National Conference in Mangaung in December 2012, a position she was re-elected to at the ANC’s 54th National Conference in NASREC in 2017.
She is survived by her children, grandchildren, siblings, and extended family.
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