Paul Mashatile pays heartfelt tribute to former MEC Dikgang ‘Uhuru’ Moiloa
South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile, on behalf of the African National Congress (ANC), has paid a heartfelt tribute to former Gauteng MEC Dikgang ‘Uhuru’ Moiloa.
Moiloa, who served various portfolios, including MEC for Housing in the Gauteng Provincial Government, passed away on Saturday.
Cde Uhuru, as he was better known, was a struggle stalwart who entrenched himself in the anti-apartheid movement in the late 1970s, in the wake of the 1976 Soweto uprising. He was a founding member of the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) in 1979 and was arrested and jailed by the apartheid government for participating in a march honouring activist Solomon Mahlangu. He joined the ANC in the 1980s after being released.
Mashatile said Cde Uhuru’s relationship with the organisation was forged in the trenches of the struggle for liberation.
“We both spent our youthful days in the Congress of South African Students (COSAS), sharpening our tools in the fierce battles with apartheid in the United Democratic Front (UDF), and continued into the halls of our democratic government, where we never lost our collective commitment to freeing and building the democratic nation of South Africa,” Mashatile said.
Cde Uhuru also tackled his role as MEC for Housing with dedicated vigour, the deputy president said.
“In that role, Cde Uhuru’s profound love for his people, his passion for community development, and his dedication to building critical infrastructure shone through in the programmes whose implementation he led. He was a true champion for the poor and marginalised, working tirelessly to restore the dignity that apartheid had stripped away,” Mashatile reminisced.
“While his unmistakable and commanding baritone voice will be heard no more in our meetings and gatherings, our hearts and memories are filled with the powerful legacy he leaves behind—a legacy of service, struggle, and tangible change,” he added.
The ANC expressed its deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the family, comrades, and friends of Moiloa.
IOL News