31 August 2001
COSATU yesterday joined the nation when it said "hamba kahle" to one of the South African liberation struggle heroes and veteran African National Congress leader, Govan "Oom Gov" Mbeki, who died recently after a long illness.
Mbeki, father of the South African president, Thabo Mbeki, was born on July 9 1910 in the Nqamakwe district of Transkei. He was educated at mission schools and completed a bachelor degree at the Ford Hare University in 1936.
A teacher by profession, he joined the ANC in 1935, having experienced the oppression of the African majority in Transkei and Johannesburg. He edited various liberation struggle newspapers in the Eastern Cape. During his tenure as a teacher and journalist, Mbeki also participated in the trade union movement during.
He joined the Communist Party of South Africa in the 1940s and played a major role in educating its members and establishing its structures. He also participated in the historic Congress of the People in 1955 and in the heroic struggle of the 1960s - something that led to his arrest and imprisonment on Robben Island.
He played a major role in the writing of the "Ready to Govern" strategic document in 1992. COSATU said Govan Mbeki was an inspiration to several generations of liberation struggle activists.
"Chris Hani was just one of the young activists he brought to the struggle. He educated thousands in the principles of communism and working class theory, giving strong ideological backbone to the liberation movement," said COSATU.
The federation said the legacy that he has given to the country would continue to benefit future generations.