ANC, EFF laud George Bizos as ‘selfless defender of human rights’
The African National Congress (ANC) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has described renowned human rights lawyer George Bizos as a humble and selfless activist who was committed to defending human rights.
Bizos died at the age of 92 on Wednesday.
ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe says his commitment to justice and love for humanity knew no bounds.
"In George Bizos we have lost one of the finest lawyers, a principled champion of the downtrodden, who remained unwavering in his commitment to justice until the last days of his life.
"His legal practice was inextricably intertwined with the history of the struggle against apartheid and for the realisation of a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous and just South Africa.
“He represented numerous leaders of the liberation movement, including: Albertina Sisulu, Trevor Huddleston, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Mac Maharaj, Rob Adam, Mosioa Lekota, Popo Molefe and many others.”
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Nelson Mandela Foundation: Bizos was a servant of the people
Bizos died at the age of 92 on Wednesday. The foundation's CEO Sello Hatang says Bizos gave his life to the fight for justice. "He was not just a friend to Madiba but he was also a friend of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. "A servant to the end, someone who gave everything he could for justice.
Bizos was part of the legal teams at the Treason and Rivonia trials in 1956 and 1964 respectively, where he represented Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela.
He also represented the families of anti-apartheid activists Neil Aggett, Ahmed Timol and Steve Biko at the inquests into their deaths at the hands of the police.
Meanwhile, EFF spokesperson Delisile Ngwenya has described Bizos as a dying breed of leaders with integrity and selflessness.
"He spent his entire life defending human rights and using his legal expertise to fight injustice. Bizos never abandoned his commitment to human rights even after the 1994 political dispensation. He was an activist part of the inquiry into the Marikana massacre.
"His loyalty to the cause of freedom and dignity can never be doubted, and his integrity was reaffirmed when he declined judicial and political positions offered to him at the dawn of democracy."
