President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his sadness at the passing of veteran anti-apartheid activist, Blanche La Guma, at the age of 95.
In a statement on Tuesday, the President extended his condolences to the family, friends, comrades and associates of the late veteran in South Africa, the United Kingdom and Cuba, where she lived at various stages of her life.
President Ramaphosa said La Guma was in the vanguard of a succession of activists who mobilised communities on the Cape Flats against apartheid.
“She was a health professional who contributed to the development of her profession in her home city and the United Kingdom where she worked in exile.
“Blanche La Guma’s sacrifices and impact should inspire all of us to take a deeper interest in the history of our liberation and to develop a greater appreciation of the extraordinary roles ordinary played to fight for change in our society in the world. May her soul rest in peace,” the President said.
The anti-apartheid heroine, who was a midwife by profession, was instrumental in the formation of the Federation of South African Women and conducted underground political activity as a member of the Communist Party in the 1950s.
She was detained in 1957 for mobilising 300 nurses in a protest against the Nursing Act and was later banned.
La Guma and her husband, intellectual and author, Alex La Guma, went into exile in 1966 and she returned to South Africa after the unbanning of the liberation movement. – SAnews.gov.za
