South Africa: Andrew Mlangeni, 95, Passes Away
South African political activist, Andrew Mekete Mlangeni, has passed away at the age of 95.
President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed the tragic news in a statement released on Wednesday morning, 22 July.
Per the statement, Mlangeni passed away at 1 Military Hospital in Thaba Tshwane, Pretoria, on Tuesday night, 21 July, following an abdominal complaint.
Mlangeni’s death comes a month after he celebrated his 95th birthday.
An active participant in the liberation struggle against South Africa’s Apartheid system, Mlangeni joined the youth wing of the African Nation Congress in 1951 before he progressed to the main organisation three years later.
He then spent more than 20 years on Robben Island, after he was convicted at the 1964 Rivonia Treason Trial alongside Denis Goldberg and former state president, Nelson Mandela.
Writing that his death “signifies the end of a generational history”, Ramaphosa added: “Bab’ Mlangeni’s dramatic life was a unique example of heroism and humility inhabiting the same person, and throughout his long life, he remained a beacon of ethical leadership and care for humanity in our own country and around the globe.”
Image Credit: Source
