@PresidencyZA
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the passing of the country’s first Speaker of Parliament in democratic South Africa, Dr Frene Ginwala.
She passed away on Thursday night following a stroke two weeks ago.
In a tribute to Ginwala, President Ramaphosa said she had served the anti-apartheid struggle and South Africa’s democratic dispensation in a diversity of roles as a lawyer, academic, political leader, activist, and journalist.
“In 2005, she was honoured with the Order of Luthuli in Silver for her excellent contribution to the struggle against gender oppression and her tireless contribution to the struggle for a non-sexist, non-racial, just, and democratic South Africa.”
President Ramaphosa said: “Today we mourn the passing of a formidable patriot and leader of our nation, and an internationalist to whom justice and democracy around the globe remained an impassioned objective to her last days.”
“We have lost another giant among a special generation of leaders to whom we owe our freedom and to whom we owe our commitment to building the South Africa to which they devoted their all,” the President said.
He said the government respects the family’s wishes for a private funeral, and details of an official memorial event will be announced in due course.
