Stop Ginwala.
Gallo Images / City Press / Lucky Nxumalo
- The first speaker of the National Assembly in a democratic South Africa, Frene Ginwala, has died.
- Ginwala died on Thursday, at the age of 90, after a stroke two weeks ago.
- She has been remembered as a torchbearer for the post-apartheid South African Parliament.
South Africa has lost one of the most iconic leaders of its liberation struggle.
Described as one of the preeminent midwives of the nation’s constitutional democracy, Parliament has mourned the passing of its founding president, in a democratic South Africa, Frene Ginwala.
Ginwala died on Thursday, at the age of 90, after a stroke two weeks ago.
Parliament Speaker Moloto Mothapo described her as one of the most revered, courageous and selfless revolutionaries.
“As a torchbearer for our post-apartheid Parliament, Dr. Ginwala was exceptional and instrumental in shaping one of the most acclaimed democracies and one of the best constitutions in the world,” he said.
Ginwala was born on April 25, 1932 in Johannesburg, in what was then the Transvaal province.
“Her quest for social justice and equality began at a very young age. Even as a child, Dr. Ginwala was aware of the policies of colonial oppression and racial discrimination that, among other things, denied children of her color attend certain racially exclusive schools, Mothapo said.
“This did not sit well with her, and with childish innocence and audacity, she confronted the headmaster of a whites-only school, demanding to know why she couldn’t be admitted to his school.”
READ | Ramaphosa pays tribute to ‘our nation’s formidable patriot and leader’, Frene Ginwala
Ginwala had defied all the odds and limitations that society had placed on young girls, he added.
“Knowing well that the fight for freedom and against injustice also required the search and advancement of knowledge, he left the country to study for a Law Degree at the University of London.
Frene Ginwala, left, pictured with Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and Graca Machel.
“He would later complete his Ph.D. at Oxford University before returning to South Africa in the 1950s to continue the liberation struggle programs and activities of the Congress Movement,” he said.
Between 1994 and 2004, Ginwala served South Africa as the first Speaker of the National Assembly as the country entered a democratic dispensation.
“It was during his tenure that he saw Parliament adopt a new democratic constitution, pass a series of progressive and transformative laws to shape the future of the young democracy,” Mothapo said.
In 2005, Ginwala was awarded the Order of Luthuli in Silver for her “excellent contribution to the fight against gender oppression and her tireless contribution to the fight for a non-sexist, non-racial, just and democratic society.”
The Speakers of Parliament, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and the Speaker of the National Council of Provinces, Amos Masondo, expressed their condolences to Ginwala’s family, friends and comrades.
