Former minister in the presidency, Essop Pahad, who died on Thursday, served the country with pride, so says acting North West premier Nono Maloyi in a tribute.
Sending condolences to the family, friends, and comrades of Struggle veteran, Maloyi said, Pahad belonged to a cohort of selfless leaders who dedicated their lives to the Struggle for liberation.
Pahad who was the minister in the presidency during the tenure of former president, Thabo Mbeki, died on Thursday, aged 84.
He was born on 21 June 1939 in Schweizer Reneke in the North West.
"He was unflinching in his pursuit of a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, and prosperous South Africa. A committed activist and patriot who championed the socio-economic rights of the poor and economically marginalised," Maloyi said in a statement.
“He was relentless in his advocacy for a free and equal nation, but critically, he shall be remembered as someone who was ethical and lived truthfully to the ideals of what encapsulates a people's-centred democracy. May his soul rest in peace."
Video: African News Agency (ANA)
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