Ramaphosa calls on young leaders to follow in footsteps of late ANC stalwart Gertrude Shope
While Ramaphosa said that Shope's passing marked the end of an era, he said that he believed that a younger generation of women were ready to pick up where Shope and other struggle stalwarts left off.
President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed mourners at the Special Official Funeral Service for Gertrude Shope at the WITS Great Hall in Johannesburg on 31 May 2025. Picture: @PresidencyZA/X
JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on younger leaders to continue in the footsteps of the late African National Congress (ANC) stalwart, Gertrude Shope, calling for a new generation of activits to pick up the baton.
The 99-year-old died last week, shortly after the passing of the ANC Women's League's deputy president, Lungi Mnganga-Gcabashe.
Shope was hailed as a trailblazer and celebrated for her pivotal role in the fight for women’s rights under apartheid.
While Ramaphosa said that Shope's passing marked the end of an era, he said that he believed that a younger generation of women were ready to pick up where Shope and other struggle stalwarts left off.
Ramaphosa was speaking on the sidelines of Shope's funeral service at Wits University in Johannesburg.
"This I believe firmly. That torch should not and will not be dimmed. It will be a torch that will keep being passed down from generation to generation, just like we inherited a torch that we were handed over by the great Nelson Mandela, OR Tambo. We’ve taken that torch forward, sometimes stumbling and falling but forever rising and holding that torch high."