ANC stalwart Gertrude Shope dies at 99
ANC stalwart and anti-apartheid activist Gertrude Shope has died at the age of 99.
In a statement, the party said Shope died peacefully at her home in Gauteng on Thursday.
The ANC described Shope as a lifelong revolutionary, leader of profound discipline, courage and humility.
From 1991 to 1993 Shope served as the president of the ANC Women’s League, including head of the ANC Women’s Section in exile, and a member of the ANC national executive committee.
Shope, who was also a trade unionist, was born on 15 August 1925 and lived in exile from 1966 to 1990.
"A lifelong revolutionary, Ma Shope, was a leader of profound discipline, courage and humility," the ANC said.
"From her early activism to the dawn of democracy, she served the struggle with unmatched commitment in the underground, in exile, and in the democratic Parliament.
"She played a pivotal role in shaping the political direction of our movement and the emancipation of women in South Africa and beyond."
Shope, who was also an MP, was mother to former Congress of the People Secretary General Lyndall Fanisa Shope-Mafole.
