Mosiuoa Lekota
Encyclopedia
Mosiuoa Gerard Patrick Lekota (born 13 August 1948) is a South African politician who currently serves as the President and Leader of the Congress of the People since 16 December 2008. Previously, under President Thabo Mbeki
, he served in the Cabinet of South Africa as Minister of Defence from 17 June 1999 to 25 September 2008. His nickname Terror Lekota comes from his playing style on the soccer field. He was a leader of the United Democratic Front and a key defendant in the Delmas Treason Trial
, 1985 to 1988.
. He had his primary education
at Emma Farm School and most of his secondary education
at Mariazel High School in Matatiele. However, he matriculated
at St. Francis College in Mariannhill
in 1969. Although he enrolled for a social science degree at the University of the North, Lekota was expelled due to his Student Representative Council- and Black Consciousness Movement
-aligned South African Students' Organization (SASO) activities in 1972.
Prison for "conspiring to commit acts endangering the maintenance of law and order" during the same year. He had organised victory rallies to celebrate the independence of Mozambique. He was released from prison in 1982.
After his release, he was elected publicity secretary of the United Democratic Front
(UDF) in 1983. In 1985, Lekota was detained and later sentenced in the Delmas Treason Trial
. However, he was released in 1989 after the Appeal Court
reviewed the sentence.
The Delmas Treason Trial was one of the most important treason trials in the last days of apartheid. It enunciated policies to be embodied in the post-apartheid society like non-racial equality before the law, reconciliation with major politicians who had supported apartheid and respect for the rule of law.
In 1990, Lekota became convenor of the African National Congress
in Southern Natal
and was subsequently elected to the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC) and its National Working Committee (NWC). He was appointed as the ANC's Chief of Intelligence in 1991
and elected as secretary for the organisation's electoral commission in 1992
. After the first fully democratic elections in South Africa in 1994
, Lekota was elected premier
of the Free State province. He held this position until 1996.
Lekota subsequently served as the chairperson of the National Council of Provinces
from 1997 to 1999, before being appointed Minister of Defence. In this position he was responsible for ordering eight A400M military transport aircraft from Airbus by the Armscor parastatal in 2005, for a price of R17bn. He was also elected as National Chairperson of the ANC in December 1997, a position which he held until 2007. He was succeeded by Baleka Mbete
.
Following the resignation of President Thabo Mbeki
in September 2008, Lekota was one of ten ministers who submitted their resignations, on September 23.
, Lekota announced that the faction of the party that was loyal to Mbeki would serve "divorce papers", indicating a secession from the ANC and the creation of a new political party. This was duly carried out, making it the first mass schism from the ANC since the creation of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania in 1959 during the apartheid period.
The announcement was both rejected and played down by leaders of the ANC, with heavy derision coming from the South African Communist Party
. However, the announcement of a new party for disaffected members of the ANC was welcomed by opposition party leaders, including Helen Zille
of the Democratic Alliance and Bantu Holomisa
of the United Democratic Movement.
On 14 October, the ANC suspended both Lekota's and Mluleki George
's memberships. After a further bout of legal squabbling with the ANC, it was decided that the new party be named the Congress of the People (COPE).
, Lekota announced his candidacy for the leadership of COPE: being the only candidate, he was elected without a vote and announced as the first President of COPE at the convention. His Deputies, Mbhazima Shilowa
and Lynda Odendaal, were also announced.
On February 20, 2009, Lekota lost the battle for his party's presidential candidacy to the former presiding bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa
, Mvume Dandala
. Media reports suggested that Lekota had failed to endorse Dandala, and that party deputy leader Shilowa had played a key role in elevating Dandala over Lekota. Lekota's defeat in the leadership race was described as "a humiliating defeat [to a] political novice" by the influential Mail & Guardian newspaper.
Although, for some time subsequent to Dandala's victory, Lekota kept mum on the matter, on February 5, 2009
, on his Facebook
page, he spoke out, urging supporters of the new movement:
A week prior to the election, speculation mounted that Lekota was set on repairing back to the ANC, as numerous other COPE defectors already had, but he clarified his stance in emphatic terms for The Sunday Times
:
On the same day, ANC treasurer-general Matthews Phosa denied allegations that the ANC had been attempting to entice Lekota back: "Officially, I'm not aware of anyone who has been sent to Terror to ask him to come back. We have never sent people to approach him."
Lekota, for his part, alleged that rumours of a reunion with the ANC, bolstered by a reported SMS and his supposed unhappiness with COPE's internal structures, were fuelled by the ANC in its devious bid to derail its campaign. He had not, he said, held any of the meetings he was alleged to have had with his former party.
At 02:09 on the morning of Election Day, April 22, Lekota issued a none-too-subtle jibe at Jacob Zuma
. "Do not kill this country for one man," he urged his Facebook supporters, making ill-veiled reference to the promises of ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema
to take up arms and murder for the ANC President. "Vote for hope, Vote COPE". Later, having cast his ballot, he announced:
His son Prince did not follow in his father's footsteps, however, voting openly for the ANC.
Lekota did not take up a seat in Parliament after the election; instead, COPE decided that he should concentrate on organizing and building the party, together with Secretary-General Charlotte Lobe.
, Afrikaans
, Tswana
, Sotho, Xhosa
and Zulu
. He also has a child with former Cape Nature deputy chairwoman Yasmina Pandy.
journalist
Verashni Pillay that he could not say for certain that HIV causes AIDS. He said:
The comments were widely criticised, with one national newspaper editor labelling them as "depressing" and "Thabo Mbeki's Aids denalism all over again". Under severe pressure to recant, Lekota told the BBC
that "[t]he virus causes AIDS [...] I accept that."
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...
, he served in the Cabinet of South Africa as Minister of Defence from 17 June 1999 to 25 September 2008. His nickname Terror Lekota comes from his playing style on the soccer field. He was a leader of the United Democratic Front and a key defendant in the Delmas Treason Trial
Delmas Treason Trial
The Delmas Treason Trial in South Africa was the prosecution of 22 anti-apartheid activists under security laws, with the intention of suppressing the United Democratic Front . The defendants included three senior UDF leaders, Frank Chikane, Mosiuoa Lekota and Popo Molefe, known as the "Big Three"...
, 1985 to 1988.
Early life
Lekota was born in KroonstadKroonstad
Kroonstad is the third-largest town in the Free State province of South Africa, and lies two hours drive from Gauteng. In the 1991 census it had a population of 110,963...
. He had his primary education
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
at Emma Farm School and most of his secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
at Mariazel High School in Matatiele. However, he matriculated
Matriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
at St. Francis College in Mariannhill
Mariannhill
Mariannhill is a little suburb near Pinetown in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa....
in 1969. Although he enrolled for a social science degree at the University of the North, Lekota was expelled due to his Student Representative Council- and Black Consciousness Movement
Black Consciousness Movement
The Black Consciousness Movement was a grassroots anti-Apartheid activist movement that emerged in South Africa in the mid-1960s out of the political vacuum created by the jailing and banning of the African National Congress and Pan Africanist Congress leadership after the Sharpeville Massacre in...
-aligned South African Students' Organization (SASO) activities in 1972.
Political career
Lekota became a permanent organiser for SASO in 1974, but was imprisoned at Robben IslandRobben Island
Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. The name is Dutch for "seal island". Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, 3.3 km long north-south, and 1.9 km wide, with an area of 5.07 km². It is flat and only a...
Prison for "conspiring to commit acts endangering the maintenance of law and order" during the same year. He had organised victory rallies to celebrate the independence of Mozambique. He was released from prison in 1982.
After his release, he was elected publicity secretary of the United Democratic Front
United Democratic Front (South Africa)
The United Democratic Front was one of the most important anti-apartheid organisations of the 1980s. The non-racial coalition of about 400 civic, church, students', workers' and other organisations was formed in 1983, initially to fight the just-introduced idea of the Tricameral Parliament The...
(UDF) in 1983. In 1985, Lekota was detained and later sentenced in the Delmas Treason Trial
Delmas Treason Trial
The Delmas Treason Trial in South Africa was the prosecution of 22 anti-apartheid activists under security laws, with the intention of suppressing the United Democratic Front . The defendants included three senior UDF leaders, Frank Chikane, Mosiuoa Lekota and Popo Molefe, known as the "Big Three"...
. However, he was released in 1989 after the Appeal Court
Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa
The Supreme Court of Appeal is an appellate court in South Africa; it is the highest appeal court except in constitutional matters, which are ultimately decided by the Constitutional Court...
reviewed the sentence.
The Delmas Treason Trial was one of the most important treason trials in the last days of apartheid. It enunciated policies to be embodied in the post-apartheid society like non-racial equality before the law, reconciliation with major politicians who had supported apartheid and respect for the rule of law.
In 1990, Lekota became convenor of the African National Congress
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
in Southern Natal
Natal Province
Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...
and was subsequently elected to the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC) and its National Working Committee (NWC). He was appointed as the ANC's Chief of Intelligence in 1991
1991 in South Africa
-January:* 9 January - Black children are admitted to schools previously reserved for Whites only.* 12 January - 45 mourners are killed during an attack on a funeral vigil for an African National Congress member...
and elected as secretary for the organisation's electoral commission in 1992
1992 in South Africa
-February:* 3 February - President F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela, the African National Congress leader are jointly awarded the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize at the Unesco headquarters in Paris...
. After the first fully democratic elections in South Africa in 1994
1994 in South Africa
-February:* 28 February - At midnight Walvis Bay was handed over to Namibia* Bophuthatswana public servants go on strike-March:* 1 March The African National Congress president Nelson Mandela and Inkatha Freedom Party leader Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi in Durban...
, Lekota was elected premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
of the Free State province. He held this position until 1996.
Lekota subsequently served as the chairperson of the National Council of Provinces
National Council of Provinces
The National Council of Provinces is the upper house of the Parliament of South Africa under the constitution which came into full effect in 1997...
from 1997 to 1999, before being appointed Minister of Defence. In this position he was responsible for ordering eight A400M military transport aircraft from Airbus by the Armscor parastatal in 2005, for a price of R17bn. He was also elected as National Chairperson of the ANC in December 1997, a position which he held until 2007. He was succeeded by Baleka Mbete
Baleka Mbete
Baleka Mbete is the former Deputy President of South Africa. She was previously Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa from 2004 to 2008....
.
Following the resignation of President Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...
in September 2008, Lekota was one of ten ministers who submitted their resignations, on September 23.
Announcement of new party
On October 8, 20082008 in South Africa
-January:* 12 January – Jackie Selebi is suspended as South Africa's National Police Commissioner as the National Prosecuting Authority states that they will bring charges against him for corruption and defeating the ends of justice....
, Lekota announced that the faction of the party that was loyal to Mbeki would serve "divorce papers", indicating a secession from the ANC and the creation of a new political party. This was duly carried out, making it the first mass schism from the ANC since the creation of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania in 1959 during the apartheid period.
The announcement was both rejected and played down by leaders of the ANC, with heavy derision coming from the South African Communist Party
South African Communist Party
South African Communist Party is a political party in South Africa. It was founded in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa by the joining together of the International Socialist League and others under the leadership of Willam H...
. However, the announcement of a new party for disaffected members of the ANC was welcomed by opposition party leaders, including Helen Zille
Helen Zille
Helen Zille is the Premier of the Western Cape, a member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, leader of South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance political party, and a former Mayor of Cape Town.Zille is a former journalist and anti-apartheid activist, and famously exposed the truth...
of the Democratic Alliance and Bantu Holomisa
Bantu Holomisa
Bantubonke Harrington Holomisa is a South African Member of Parliament and President of the United Democratic Movement.Holomisa was born in Mqanduli, Eastern Cape. He joined the Transkei Defence Force in 1976 and had become a Brigadier by 1985...
of the United Democratic Movement.
On 14 October, the ANC suspended both Lekota's and Mluleki George
Mluleki George
Mluleki Editor George is the former deputy minister of defence of South Africa. He currently serves as treasurer-general of the Congress of the People, a South African political party formed by former Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota in 2008.-External links:...
's memberships. After a further bout of legal squabbling with the ANC, it was decided that the new party be named the Congress of the People (COPE).
Leader of the Congress of the People
On December 16, 20082008 in South Africa
-January:* 12 January – Jackie Selebi is suspended as South Africa's National Police Commissioner as the National Prosecuting Authority states that they will bring charges against him for corruption and defeating the ends of justice....
, Lekota announced his candidacy for the leadership of COPE: being the only candidate, he was elected without a vote and announced as the first President of COPE at the convention. His Deputies, Mbhazima Shilowa
Mbhazima Shilowa
Mbhazima Samuel Shilowa is a South African politician. A former Premier of Gauteng province while a member of the African National Congress, Shilowa left the party to help form the opposition Congress of the People, with whom he is the Deputy President...
and Lynda Odendaal, were also announced.
On February 20, 2009, Lekota lost the battle for his party's presidential candidacy to the former presiding bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa
Methodist Church of Southern Africa
The Methodist Church of Southern Africa is a member church of the World Methodist Council.Methodism in Southern Africa began as a result of lay Christian work by an Irish soldier of the English Regiment, John Irwin, who was stationed at the Cape and began to hold prayer meetings as early as 1795...
, Mvume Dandala
Mvume Dandala
Mvumelwano Mvume Dandala is a former presiding bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and a former head of the All Africa Council of Churches...
. Media reports suggested that Lekota had failed to endorse Dandala, and that party deputy leader Shilowa had played a key role in elevating Dandala over Lekota. Lekota's defeat in the leadership race was described as "a humiliating defeat [to a] political novice" by the influential Mail & Guardian newspaper.
Although, for some time subsequent to Dandala's victory, Lekota kept mum on the matter, on February 5, 2009
2009 in South Africa
-February:* 4 February – Jacob Zuma appeared in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.* 4 February – Jimmy Mohlala a Mbombela Local Council Municipality speaker was shot dead in his Nelspruit home...
, on his Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page, he spoke out, urging supporters of the new movement:
We should also not be distracted now by who serves in the interim leadership, because ultimately the people's voice will be heard. They will vote for their leaders, and everyone else will apply for a job and be interviewed to obtain any position.
A week prior to the election, speculation mounted that Lekota was set on repairing back to the ANC, as numerous other COPE defectors already had, but he clarified his stance in emphatic terms for The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (South Africa)
The Sunday Times is a popular South African Sunday newspaper. It has an audited circulation of 504,000 and a weekly readership of 3.2 million, making it the largest weekly newspaper in South Africa. Recently it was involved in exposing a corruption scandal involving the South African government's...
:
There is no way I can return to the company of men and women who are dead set on destroying the constitutional democracy which I gave most of my life to creating. I will go to the grave a member of the Congress of the People.
On the same day, ANC treasurer-general Matthews Phosa denied allegations that the ANC had been attempting to entice Lekota back: "Officially, I'm not aware of anyone who has been sent to Terror to ask him to come back. We have never sent people to approach him."
Lekota, for his part, alleged that rumours of a reunion with the ANC, bolstered by a reported SMS and his supposed unhappiness with COPE's internal structures, were fuelled by the ANC in its devious bid to derail its campaign. He had not, he said, held any of the meetings he was alleged to have had with his former party.
At 02:09 on the morning of Election Day, April 22, Lekota issued a none-too-subtle jibe at Jacob Zuma
Jacob Zuma
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is the President of South Africa, elected by parliament following his party's victory in the 2009 general election....
. "Do not kill this country for one man," he urged his Facebook supporters, making ill-veiled reference to the promises of ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema
Julius Malema
Julius Sello Malema is a South African politician, and the former president of the African National Congress Youth League. Malema occupies a notably controversial position in South African public and political life; having risen to prominence with his support for African National Congress...
to take up arms and murder for the ANC President. "Vote for hope, Vote COPE". Later, having cast his ballot, he announced:
my voteis [sic] not a secret. I voted for change, unity, anti corrupt government, better service delivery and hope for all. Do like wise [sic]. Vote COPE!
His son Prince did not follow in his father's footsteps, however, voting openly for the ANC.
Lekota did not take up a seat in Parliament after the election; instead, COPE decided that he should concentrate on organizing and building the party, together with Secretary-General Charlotte Lobe.
Personal life
Lekota is married and has three children, one daughter and two sons; his wife Cynthia was a former teacher in the Free State. He is a fluent speaker of EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
, Tswana
Tswana language
Tswana or Setswana is a language spoken in Southern Africa by about 4.5 million people. It is a Bantu language belonging to the Niger–Congo language family within the Sotho languages branch of Zone S , and is closely related to the Northern- and Southern Sotho languages, as well as the Kgalagadi...
, Sotho, Xhosa
Xhosa language
Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately 7.9 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a tonal language, that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said...
and Zulu
Zulu language
Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...
. He also has a child with former Cape Nature deputy chairwoman Yasmina Pandy.
HIV/AIDS controversy
On 25 February 2009, with the elections just two months away, Lekota told News 24News 24
News 24 may refer to:*News 24 , a 24-hour news television channel in Albania*News24, a South Africa-based news website*Rai News 24, a 24-hour news television channel in Italy*BBC News 24, now known as BBC News, a UK 24-hour news television channel...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
Verashni Pillay that he could not say for certain that HIV causes AIDS. He said:
Look I am not an expert on HIV and AIDS and I don't want to venture an opinion on whether it does or not. I am not a medical doctor, so I will not comment on that.
The comments were widely criticised, with one national newspaper editor labelling them as "depressing" and "Thabo Mbeki's Aids denalism all over again". Under severe pressure to recant, Lekota told the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
that "[t]he virus causes AIDS [...] I accept that."