Ambassador and political veteran, Jessie Duarte laid to rest
Fellow comrades and compatriots joined the family of the late struggle stalwart, political activist and Ambassador Yasmin “Jessie” Duarte, at a Special Official Funeral in Johannesburg on Sunday, July 17.
Ambassador Duarte was a long-time anti-apartheid activist who served as Special Assistant to former President Nelson Mandela and struggle stalwart Walter Sisulu.
She lost her battle with cancer at the age of 68 on the early hours of Sunday morning. Due to Muslim rites, her funeral was done on the same day.
In 1994 she was appointed to the Gauteng Provincial government as a Member of the Executive Council (MEC) responsible for Safety and Security.
Between 1999 and 2003, she served as South Africa’s Ambassador to the Republic of Mozambique.
Until her untimely passing Ambassador Duarte was serving as Deputy Secretary General of the governing African National Congress (ANC) following her election in 2012 and she was a member of its National Executive Committee, a role she occupied since 1997.
In his capacity as President of the ANC and the country, Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the eulogy at the funeral at the West Park Cemetery.
Duarte was a revolutionary dynamite – Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed the late Duarte, as a faithful, dedicated and fiercely loyal leader – a revolutionary dynamite.
Although Duarte has been gravely ill for several months, the President said that it is difficult to comprehend that someone with such vitality and such spirit has departed this earth.
“For close on 10 years, she served as ANC Deputy Secretary General. For 25 years, she served on its National Executive Committee. Moreover, from the years of her youth to her final days, she served the people of South Africa with dedication, with humility and with a passion that is all too rare. She worked alongside great leaders of our struggle,” the President said.
President Ramaphosa said that throughout her life, Duarte was an organiser who mobilised women across the country to resist the restrictions imposed upon them by a racist and sexist political system and a patriarchal society.
“We remember the courage with which she spoke against the abuse of women not just by the apartheid security forces, but within the ranks of the liberation movement itself.
“Even in the democratic era, Jessie was relentless in advancing the position of women in all areas of public and private life,” he said.
The President said that she confronted the patriarchal attitudes and practices that sought to diminish the role and contribution of women in Parliament, in government and across society.
