Former Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana dies aged 72
Mdladlana was an African National Congress Member of Parliament for the country’s first-ever democratic administration in 1994.
Former Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana. Picture: ALEXANDER JOE / AFP
JOHANNESBURG - Former Labour Minister, Membathisi Mdladlana has died at the age of 72.
His death has been confirmed by his family, who said he died on Friday morning at his Cape Town home.
Mdladlana was an African National Congress member of Parliament (MP) for the country’s first-ever democratic administration in 1994.
After serving as an MP for four years, Mdladlana was appointed by the first President Nelson Mandela, and later President Thabo Mbeki as the Labour Minister, a position he held until 2009.
The family's spokesperson, Mayibuye Sokupa, says Mdladlana is survived by seven children and grandchildren.
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"No illness to mention, it was old age, problem with breathing here and there. He passed away early this morning after having his breakfast while watching TV but he was not sick. It was a short illness, he complained about breathing and that was it," Sokupa said.
Sokupa said Mdladlana would be remembered as a trade unionist who fought for the rights of workers during and after apartheid.
"He fought for the downtrodden, he fought for the betterment of the working masses. If I recall very well he has always been a unionist, from his time at SADTU [South African Democratic Teachers Union] he fought for the rights of educators. When he went on to become Minister of Labour, he sought to cover both the employer and the employee and establish really good working relationships," he added.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed Mdladlana as a pioneer of the country’s trade union movement.
Mdladlana’s death comes shortly after the death of his successor, Tito Mboweni.
“In the year which we're marking 30 years of freedom and democracy system, Mr Mdladlana’s passing and that of other leaders takes us back in time to the sacrifices and struggles of our past the hope on which we embarked on building a new society and the hard work it has taken since then to secure the gains we have made,” said the spokesperson in The Presidency, Vincent Magwenya.