South Africa's Political Mastodon Essop Pahad Dies at 84
12:07 06.07.2023 (Updated: 10:47 03.08.2023)
© AFP 2023 ALEXANDER JOE
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Essop Pahad began his long political career when he joined the Transvaal Indian Youth Congress in 1958. He was a key player in South Africa's struggle against apartheid. Being the country's minister in the presidency under president Thabo Mbeki, his political ally, Pahad was acknowledged as a key сabinet figure who influenced policymaking.
Essop Pahad, a former minister in the presidency of South Africa, has passed away at the age of 84, reports say.
According to a statement made on behalf of his children, he died peacefully while sleeping.
"It is with a heavy heart that we bring you the news of the passing of our beloved father. He peacefully left us in his sleep earlier today. [...] He was not only a renowned figure in politics but also a loving brother, father, and grandfather. Unfortunately, he had been battling stage 4 cancer recently and succumbed to the illness," the statement said.
Pahad's political career began in 1958, when he joined the Transvaal Indian Youth Congress. In 1962, shortly after the African National Congress (ANC) had been outlawed, he was detained for planning a strike.
Two years later, Pahad left into exile where he became increasingly engaged with the ANC and the South African Communist Party (SACP) during the country's fight for freedom.
Pahad became the minister in the presidency after Thabo Mbeki was elected president in 1999. He was assisting Mbeki's administration as a legislative advisor, and was Mbeki's political ally for a long period of time.
After serving as the minister from 1999 to 2008, Pahad retired, following Mbeki's departure as president in September 2008.
Pahad's family, friends, and comrades received the condolences form the South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa.
"We mourn the passing of a veteran of our struggle, 65 years after he took his first revolutionary step of becoming a member of the Transvaal Indian Congress. Security crackdowns, banning and exile shaped Essop Pahad’s contribution over decades to our struggle and [...] to the early design and impact of our democratic state. Essop Pahad was a thinker and strategist who brought his understanding of the human condition, injustice and inequality at the national and international level to bear on our transition to democracy and in introducing a democratic, non-aligned and activist South Africa to the global community," the president stated.
Ramaphosa stressed that Essop Pahad served the nation "with pride, principle, and pragmatism".
