By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says many will remember the late ANC secretary-general Jessie Duarte, as a true beacon of hope, and a true inspirer.
Ramaphosa spoke at a wreath-laying ceremony for Duarte at the Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg on Monday morning.
Monday marked exactly one year since the passing of Duarte following a battle against cancer.
The 68-year-old Duarte served as deputy secretary-general of the ANC from 2012 and was a member of the party’s national executive committee since 2002.
Ramaphosa said, “many of us will remember her as a very humorous leader but also a very stern one. Duarte was one of those leaders who did not tolerate any nonsense from ANC leaders. If you spoke out of line, she would immediately pick up the phone and call and not only say ‘what were you thinking about’?
“She would immediately admonish and put you straight in your course once again, regardless of whatever position you occupied. She served comrade Nelson Mandela extremely well, together with other comrades. “
Ramaphosa added that Duarte sought to inspire young people.
“She was a true beacon of hope, and she was a true inspirer, and she strove to inspire many young people. Young women in their multitudes were inspired by comrade Jessie’s dedication to our struggle, and she also spent a great deal of time inspiring, empowering young men as well.”
Duarte, who was born in Coronationville, Johannesburg, was a founding member of the Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) – an affiliate of the United Democratic Front (UDF) – serving as its provincial secretary in the then Transvaal.
An accountant who was recruited into politics by the later Albertina Sisulu, Duarte was detained for her activities under the State of Emergency in 1988 for several months and served with a restriction order on her release.
After the ANC was unbanned in 1990, Duarte acted as a personal assistant to Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu, and became involved in the party leadership at regional level.
After 1994, she was elected to the ANC Gauteng provincial executive committee and served as Gauteng’s first safety and security MEC, a role Duarte quit due to a controversy over her driving licence.
Duarte, a mother of two, was then appointed as ambassador to Mozambique, where she served from 1999 to 2003.
She also served as ANC spokesperson, developing an at times tense relationship with the media, who narrative she was not slow to criticise in occasionally heated engagements over the years.
Duarte rose to the party’s national leadership during this period, and was elected as deputy secretary general of the ANC at its 2012 elective conference in Mangaung, a post to which she was re-elected in 2017 at Nasrec.