Mashatile pays tribute to Mdladlana, praising him as a lifelong champion of human rights

By Charles Molele

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has described former labour minister Membathisi Mdladlana as a great leader, who was drawn to the labour movement from the earliest days of his career to “ensure that South Africa’s workforce received fair treatment and protection under the law”.

Mdladlana passed away last week at the age of 72 following a short illness.

Delivering the eulogy at Mdladlana’s Special Official Memorial Service in Cape Town, Mashatile highlighted Mdladlana’s many roles as an activist, a unionist and teacher, saying he was a lifelong champion of human rights, and “one of the architects of the new South Africa”.

Mdladlana was appointed as an MP in Nelson Mandela’s Cabinet in 1994, and became the labour minister four years later. He retained the position until 2009.

Mashatile said that Mdladlana understood that a thriving economy depended on the wellbeing of its workers and fought to ensure that