South Africa: South Africa’s veteran freedom fighter and Deputy Secretary General (SG) of the African National Congress (ANC), Yasmin “Jessie” Duarte, died on Sunday after a long battle with cancer. Her age was 68.
Jessie had been on medical leave since November 2021 as she underwent treatment for cancer.
She was the longest-serving member of the ruling party’s national executive council (NEC) after foremost being selected to the body in 1999 under the leadership of then-president Thabo Mbeki.
The whole nation is sad, and many residents and ministers shared condolences with her families, the passing of Comrade Jessie is a great loss for the whole nation.
President of the African National Congress (ANC), “Cyril Ramaphosa“, shared her wishes by writing “, Jessie Duarte was a unifier. She represented a politics that was neither divisive, mean, nor small. Her politics were authorising and unifying. She understood the immense power of a united people and a united movement.”
https://twitter.com/CyrilRamaphosa/status/1548665102647398405
https://twitter.com/PresidencyZA/status/1548685734655266818
Not only did he share condolences on Twitter, but he also attended the Special Official Funeral Service for the late ANC Deputy Secretary-General Ms Jessie Duarte at the West Park Cemetery in Johannesburg.
Parliament of RSA also tweeted on his official Twitter account in which they wrote, “National Assembly Speaker Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and her partner, Mr Charles Nqakula, at the funeral service of the late ANC Deputy Secretary General Ms Jessie Duarte.”
https://twitter.com/ParliamentofRSA/status/1548663270478946309
RSA Minister of Transport tweeted, “Fare yee well ANC DSG Jessie Duarte. You have fought a good fight and run a good race in the service of the Almighty and our people. Your caring, revolutionary and tenacious spirit will live on. Condolences to the family.”
https://twitter.com/MbalulaFikile/status/1548573799465066496
Deputy President of the African National Congress also wrote on his Twitter account, “Today we woke with the news of the sad passing of our dear comrade & sister in the struggle, Ms Jessie Duarte. We bow our heads to salute her immense assistance to the struggle for freedom, as well as her commitment to building a democratic South Africa. We are poorer without her.”
https://twitter.com/DDMabuza/status/1548600930479775744