President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed sadness following the passing of struggle stalwart Gertrude Ntiti Shope.
Shope passed away at home on Thursday at the age of 99. She would have celebrated her 100th birthday in August.
Ramaphosa described Shope as a respected educator, trade unionist, freedom fighter, and a former member of parliament.
Known as Ma Shope, she was honoured with the Order of Meritorious Service in Silver, a national order that recognises individuals for their outstanding public service.
It was discontinued on December 2, 2002, and replaced with the current national orders.
“We have lost an eminent national heroine and mother to our nation,” Ramaphosa said.
“During a lifetime of close to a century, Ma Shope made a monumental contribution to our struggle for a free and inclusive South Africa while inspiring generations of women and men to emulate her commitment.
“Her sacrifice, service, and revolutionary bravery played out in formations from the African National Congress, where she was elected president of the women’s league in 1990, to the Federation of South African Women, the World Federation of Trade Unions, and the first parliament of the democratic South Africa.”
Ramaphosa extended his condolences to Shope’s daughters, Lyndall Shope-Mafole and Thaninga Shope-Linney, South African ambassador to Cuba.
Resilient and unshakeable
The struggle icon was married to Mark Shope, a well-known trade unionist and revolutionary.
Her son, Lenin Magigwane Shope, who once served as ambassador to Senegal, passed away in 2020.
“Her sacrifice included almost a quarter century in exile with her husband Mark and children in locations ranging from Botswana, Tanzania, and Zambia to the then Czechoslovakia.
“She organised women and communities in our country, as well as international organisations, to oppose apartheid and alleviate the plight of oppressed communities while the struggle was underway,” said Ramaphosa.
Ma Shope was also recognised for her involvement in the struggle through her inclusion as a co-conspirator in the Rivonia Trial, alongside prominent leaders such as Oliver Tambo, Joe Slovo, Ben Turok, Duma Nokwe, Joe Modise, and Jack Hodgson, among others.
According to the president, Shope was resilient and unshakeable, and she stood firm in the face of apartheid oppression.
Her legacy, Ramaphosa said, continues to be felt in South Africa’s ongoing transformation, with her life’s efforts reflected in the progress the nation has made and continues to pursue.
