DANIEL MOABI MOHAPI

(1957 - 2006)

Daniel Moabi Mohapi was ANC Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature & SACP Gauteng Provincial Deputy Secretary

As we were preparing to vote and celebrate our victory on the 1st March 2006 local government elections, we also sadly had to deep our revolutionary black, green and gold banner and the red flag in mourning the untimely passing on of a revolutionary Comrade Dan Moabi Mohapi.

Comrade Dan was born in 1957 and grew up in SOWETO. He started his high school education at Sekano Ntoane in Soweto in 1973. Due to his concern about the poor financial situation at home, he decided to suspend his studies and go out to seek employment in order to help his family. After working for some time and because of his love for education, he went back to Sekano Ntoane to complete his Std 10/Matric/Grade 12 in 1978. From 1979-1983 he worked for Anglo American Life (currently called Southern Life) as a clerk responsible for data capturing. Like the youth of the time who had a sense of community consciousness and awareness, he was part of the religious youth movement where he developed his consciousness. He was elected as Secretary of the Methodist Youth (Pimville Circuit) in 1984-85. From these 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 were dodged by stints of unemployment and retrenchments, when he became unemployed in 1984, he did not just fold his arms and pity himself. He understood the historical reasons for the systemic unemployment in South Africa. He went out to help organise the unemployed workers under the banner of the Congress of South African 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 1994 to 1999 he served as the COSATU Witwatersrand Regional Secretary (one of the biggest COSATU Regions). His leadership positions in the region, allowed him to serve on COSATU national structures. Before becoming an MPL, he represented COSATU on the Board of the Gauteng Economic Development Agency (GEDA). As part of his trade union and political work, he travelled to various countries to represent our people. In addition to several leadership development courses he did within the trade union movement, he got a Certificate Programme in Industrial Relations at Wits Business School in 1996. In 1998 he also went to Norway for a Leadership Course in Change Management.

In 1999 he was elected as a Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature where he was appointed and served as 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 as a Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Transport, Roads and Works until he passed on.

In 2004, Cde Dan Mohapi was elected Provincial Deputy Secretary of the South African Communist Party Gauteng Province, the position he held until his passing on. He will be remembered as a loyal and disciplined member of the ANC, SACP and COSATU who understood the objectives of the National Democratic Revolution. As a member of the ANC, an organiser, an educator, a worker leader and a communist, he understood the interrelationship between the national, gender and class struggle 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 all the organisations he belonged to.

He was also a member of the Kutluano Social Organisation, a community social organisation based in the Kwathema/Springs area. Like many youth who grew up in the townships, he was a smart dresser and quite streetwise. When he took ill, he was busy with his university studies (focusing on Economics).

Comrade Dan symbolised the essence of the alliance. He was born of the working class and remained loyal to the struggle of the working class until the end of his life.

He is survived by his wife, children, mother, three sisters and one brother.

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

Go well Comrade Dan! Robala ka Kgotso Mohapi!

You will be sorely missed by comrades!