Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane says the late Mama Lillian Diedericks served people with diligence, steadfastness and dignity.
Diedericks, ANC struggle stalwart and trade unionist, passed away peacefully at her home in Gelvandale on Tuesday afternoon.
The cause of her death has not been confirmed.
Mabuyane said Diedericks has left a legacy behind which she can be proud of.
‘’We bid farewell to yet another colossal legend of our beloved Eastern Cape. We say rest in peace to Mama Diedericks; you have served your people with diligence, steadfastness, dignity with your integrity and legacy intact. We convey our heartfelt condolences to the Diedericks family, and say that while there can be no immediate comfort to the passing of a loved one, however take solace in the fact that Mrs Diedericks leaves a legacy you can all be proud of for centuries to come’’, Mabuyane said.
The provincial party’s regional chairperson Babalwa Lobishe shared that she too experienced a very close bond with Diedericks whom she described as one she could always confide in.
“Her death is a great loss for our province and country. Mama Diedericks was one of the people I went to for advice on many issues. She used to be very particular on who she allowed close to her. She often raised concerns about how we are going to stabilise the region, but showed confidence in us,” Lobishe said.
She further conveyed her condolences to the family and friends of Diedericks.
Born in Red Location, New Brighton in the Eastern Cape on December 17, 1925, her political journey started in the 1950s through her involvement in the Food and Canning Workers’ Union. She also served as a secretary of the Medical Association.
Her fluency in Xhosa, English and Afrikaans helped her organise and address people across the colour lines that apartheid had created.
She later became involved in activities within the ANC’s Women’s League and 1954 she was among the Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) delegates who attended the national Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) conference.
After a protest against the then Mayor of Port Elizabeth Johannes Gerhardus Strijdom in 1956, Diedericks was arrested for treason, along with Frances Baard, Florence Matomela and numerous other women. They were imprisoned at the Fort Prison in Johannesburg and acquitted in 1961.
She was a close friend of Struggle stalwart Raymond Mhlaba.
For a long time Diedericks worked underground in Cape Town and during this period, she worked as a domestic worker. Upon her return to Port Elizabeth, the apartheid government banned her for five years from 1963 to 1969.