President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the late freedom fighter and former member of parliament, Gertrude Shope, as a dedicated freedom fighter and champion of women emancipation.
Ramaphosa delivered the eulogy at Shope’s funeral, which was held at Wits University in Braamfontein.
The 99-year-old Shope passed away last week Thursday and was accorded a Special Official Funeral Category 1.
“Mama Gertrude Shope’s life is and was intertwined in the fabric of our democracy.
“Hers was a life that was quietly and unshakably committed to the struggle for our people’s liberation.
“As we pay tribute to Mama Gertrude Shope, one of the outstanding matriarchs of our struggle, we should remember that she was a torchbearer for women’s emancipation.
“We should remember her for her lifelong contribution to the struggle for freedom for all, especially for women silenced in the margins of apartheid oppression and patriarchy,” said Ramaphosa.
The president said Shope’s selfless dedication towards women equality and empowerment, helped to shape the country’s democracy.
Ramaphosa applauded Shope and her then comrades, for their fight against Bantu Education.
“By her late twenties Ma Shope was a teacher by profession, having received her training in Zimbabwe, and was teaching domestic science at Pimville High in Soweto. This brought her into direct contact with one of apartheid’s most insidious policies, Bantu Education. To witness the dehumanising of black children in the classroom struck her to the core.
“She refused to accept the dictates of her role to impart inferior education that prepared black children for little more than a life of menial labour.
“Ma Shope’s resistance to Bantu Education was a bold declaration that every African child was deserving of knowledge, respect and dignity,” remarked Ramaphosa.
Ma Shope, as she was affectionately called, was forced to go to exile in 1966 and joined her late husband, Mark, who was active in the trade union movement and ANC in exile.
She is a recipient of the Order for Meritorious Service (Silver), which recognises South Africans who have rendered exceptional public service.
Shope was laid to rest at the Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg.
