ANC+Gauteng+Province+tribute+to+Cde+Dan+Mohapi



=ANC GAUTENG PROVINCE PAYS TRIBUTE TO COMRADE DAN MOHAPI=


 * 2 March 2006**

As we will be celebrating our victory in the 1st March local government elections, we will also sadly deep our revolutionary black, green and gold banner in mourning the untimely passing on of our Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature Comrade Dan Mohapi. He left the world of the living on Tuesday, 28 February (the eve of the local government elections). We wish to pass our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and the South African Communist Party (SACP) Gauteng Province which until his passing on, he served as Provincial Deputy Secretary.

Comrade Dan grew up and completed his high school education at Sekano Ntoane in Soweto between 1973-76. Like the youth of the time who had a sense of community consciousness and awareness, he was part of the religious youth movement. From this experiences in the youth movement and as a worker, he joined the progressive trade union movement which was revitalised following the 1973 worker strikes. Like many South African workers who are dodged by stints of unemployment, when he became unemployed he did not just fold his arms and pity himself. He understood the historical and systemic reasons for the unemployment in South Africa. He went out to help organise the unemployed workers under the banner of the recently launched Congress of South African Congress of Trade Unions (COSATU). For these efforts, in the late eighties he was elected as the General Secretary of the National Unemployed Workers Coordinating Committee (NUWCC).

In the early nineties, he was elected to leadership structures of the Construction and Allied Workers Union (CAWU), a COSATU affilliate which was later merged into the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). For his continued work in the trade union movement, he was later appointed as the COSATU Witwatersrand Regional Education Secretary. In 1996 he was elected as the COSATU Witwatersrand Regional Secretary (one of the biggest COSATU Regions). His leadership position in the region, allowed him to serve on COSATU national structures.

In 1999 he was elected as a Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature where he was appointed and served as a Chairperson of the Economic Affairs Portfolio Committee until the end of term in 2004. After the 2004 Provincial/National elections he was appointed and served until he passed on as a Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Transport, Roads and Works.

He will be remembered as a loyal and disciplined member of the ANC who understood the objectives of the National Democratic Revolution. As a member of the ANC, a worker leader and a communist, he understood the interrelationship between the national, gender and class questions of our revolution and the importance of having a strong alliance. He will also be remembered for his keen interest in always acquiring more knowledge & information, robust debates & discussions and respect for decisions of the organisation. Like many youth who grew up in the townships, he was also a smart dresser. When he took ill, he was busy with his university studies.


 * His passing on is a deep loss to our movement.

Go well Comrade Dan! You will be sorely missed by comrades!

Issued by: David Malemolla Makhura ANC Gauteng Provincial Secretary

From: http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/pr/2006/pr0302.html**