Johannesburg - The Office of the African National Congress (ANC) Chief Whip on Monday said it has “learned with shock and sadness about the passing of our Member of Parliament in the National Assembly, Cde Bonisile Nesi, on Sunday after a short illness”.
The ANC in Parliament said it was “deeply saddened to lose a comrade of Cde Nesi’s calibre. He was a consummate lawmaker, a warrior for social justice and a humble people’s servant dedicated to improving the lives of our people”.
Nesi, affectionately known as Nobou, was serving in the parliamentary portfolio committees on home affairs and on defence & military veterans.
He joined Parliament in 2009 as a Member of the National Council of Provinces, where he served in select committees on cooperative governance and traditional affairs, petitions and private members legislative proposals, as well as justice and constitutional development. Before joining Parliament, he served as a member of the Eastern Cape provincial legislature
Nesi was born in Grahamstown in 1965. He cut his teeth in politics at a young age in the 1980s, becoming a leader of the Congress of South African Students (Cosas) at Ntsika Junior Secondary School.
For his fierce anti-apartheid activism and his role in the student movement, Nesi was jailed in 1987 for two years – six months of which he spent in solitary confinement.
At the time of his passing, Comrade Nesi was serving as a member of the ANC Regional Executive Committee in the Sarah Bartman Region.
Previously, he served as deputy chairperson of the ANC Sarah Bartman Region and was also a member of the provincial leadership of the ANC Youth League.
“The Office of the ANC Chief Whip extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Cde Nesi.”
African News Agency