The first DEPUTY General Secretary of the ANC, Mrs Nomvula Mokonyane, says that they did not hold a grudge against the founder of the organization that brought him into the ANC, Cope, Mr Mosiuoa Lekota.
Mrs Mokonyane said that they do not believe that Lekota defected from the ANC and started Cope in 2008.
He said this while speaking at the memorial service for Lekota, which was held in Soweto yesterday.
The ANC began to lose power when Cope rebelled.
The ANC has continued to decline when there are elections, leading to the fact that it failed to win the 2024 election.
Mrs Mokonyane said that Lekota is innocent.
“That is why the President (Cyril Ramaphosa) honored Lekota with a state funeral. All that remains is for us to say a prayer that says ‘forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us. The king has forgiven Lekota. May his death bring unity to all of us who are left.”
Mrs Mokonyane said that even though Lekota left the ANC, she said that it will not end that her main political home is in the ANC.
“We are gathered here because we are ANC and we are part of Lekota’s life. We are grateful for the role he played during the fight against the apartheid government. Some may say that he was a member of Cope but we are also ours.”
Mrs Mokonyane said Lekota was one of the leaders who believed that women should be given the opportunity to hold positions.
Mrs Mokonyane said that Lekota had to be persuaded first before she realized the importance of giving women the opportunity to hold positions.
“We will miss him a lot during the conference in 1991. Lekota, like many other male leaders, was not in favor of the women’s campaign for mbokodo to be elected to positions. He did not understand the fact that 30% of those elected to positions were women. It even forced Mandela to call him aside and explain to him the importance of women. He finally realized the importance of women. He said that he has become enlightened. He said to himself that women are people too.”
Lekota will be buried on Saturday, in the Free State.
Today there will be another memorial service in Lekota which will be held in the Free State.
He was honored with a state funeral in the second stage.
He was the minister of Defence, he was the prime minister of the Free State.