President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his condolences to the family, friends and comrades of Ambassador Moosa “Mosie” Moolla, who passed away on Saturday night at the age of 88.
Fondly remembered for his vibrancy, good humour and insight, President Ramaphosa said Mosie, as he was commonly known amongst his comrades, dedicated his entire lifetime to the fight for freedom and the construction of South Africa’s constitutional democracy.
“From a very young age, Mosie’s struggle was a selfless commitment to the liberation of the oppressed and a creation of a free, democratic society, founded on the principle of equality and human rights for all.
“The pain and suffering he endured during years of detention, treason trial and exile, away from his family has not been in vain. As we conclude marking Human Rights Month, we do so in honour to the contribution of many who perished in the quest for our freedom and to the sacrifices made by activists such as Mosie,” President Ramaphosa said in a statement on Sunday.
Following many years of dedicated activism against apartheid, Mosie was amongst a group of struggle luminaries that included Nelson Mandela, Helen Joseph, Ahmed Kathrada and Walter Sisulu, who were acquitted in March 1961 after five gruelling years of the 1956 Treason Trial.
After the promulgation of the 90-day detention law, Mosie was held in solitary confinement at the Marshal Square Police Station. He would later escape and leave the country to join the exile leadership of the African National Congress (ANC) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 1963.
He became a member of Umkhonto Wesizwe and received military training in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). During his exile years, Mosie represented the ANC in India, Egypt and the World Peace Council in Helsinki, Finland.
With international relations experience and contribution to the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) negotiations, Mosie was appointed by President Nelson Mandela to serve as South Africa’s Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran from 1995 to 1999.
Mosie served as High Commissioner to Pakistan from June 2000 until 2004.
Ambassador Moolla is survived by his children Tasneem, Azaad and Afzal. – SAnews.gov.za
