Nelson Mandela Bay church leaders and political activists joined thousands of South Africans paying tribute to 91-year-old Zondeni Sobukwe, the wife of Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) founder Robert Sobukwe‚ who died on Wednesday.
They described her as the “epitome of calmness” in trying times.
President Cyril Ramaphosa also expressed condolences after Sobukwe’s death in Graaff-Reinet after she was discharged from hospital.
“The loss – in Women’s Month – of Mama Sobukwe is a sad loss to the Sobukwe family‚ foundation and our nation at large.
“We have lost a heroine of resistance and a fighter for the freedom of all South Africans‚ who continued her activism into our democratic dispensation,” he said.
“We will always remember and honour her extraordinary contribution.”
In April‚ the National Order of Luthuli in Silver was bestowed on Sobukwe‚ who was affectionately known as “the mother of Azania”.
Her husband died in February 1978 and was buried in Graaff-Reinet the next month.
Port Elizabeth businessman and political activist Mkhuseli Jack said her death was a loss for the entire nation.
“She conducted herself in an impeccable manner,” he said.
“She was an epitome of calmness during political storms. She carried the burden of the nation while her husband was incarcerated.”
Sobukwe was born on July 27 1927 in Hlobane in KwaZulu-Natal.
Former Nelson Mandela Bay mayor and businessman Nceba Faku said it was sad for the PAC to lose the wife of the founding father of the ailing organisation and he hoped that her death would unite it.
“The current crop of leaders has depleted the values of the founding fathers of liberation.”
Faku said he was saddened by the fact that Sobukwe would not see the launch of a book she had been busy with.
Speaking on behalf of Nelson Mandela Bay churches, Methodist Church of Southern Africa Bishop Jacob Freemantle described Sobukwe as an icon.
“Her contribution to the struggle and liberation of this country was remarkable. It can never be forgotten,” he said.
Freemantle said people like Sobukwe were mothers that he and other young people had looked up to as they were growing up.

The Sobukwe family said in a statement: “The family is deeply grateful for the gift of her life and the innumerable lessons she leaves behind and, even as we mourn her passing‚ we celebrate her humility and the simplicity with which she approached and viewed life.”
The Sobukwes married in 1950.
Sobukwe became a pillar of strength to her husband throughout, including them praying together on March 21 1960, when he handed himself over for arrest in protest against the pass laws.
He was sentenced to three years in prison for incitement, but the apartheid government refused to release him after his jail term ended.
The PAC described Sobukwe as a “very humble‚ resistant and loving woman”.
“Women should emulate and embody the mother of Azania.
“She was not a drama queen but a responsible mother who understood her cause until the end.”
Sobukwe’s family said details of the memorial and funeral services would be released once they have been finalised.
- Additional reporting by TimesLIVE..