Mosiuoa ‘Terror’ Lekota Dies at 77: Tributes Pour In for Anti-Apartheid Veteran and Former Minister
JOHANNESBURG — South Africa’s political class marked the death of anti-apartheid veteran and former defence minister Mosiuoa “Terror” Lekota, who died at 77 after a long illness, according to reporting this week. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
Lekota spent years imprisoned on Robben Island, later served in senior ANC leadership roles and in cabinet, and then co-founded COPE after breaking with the ANC during the 2008 split that followed Thabo Mbeki’s recall. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}
Parliament also issued a statement on his passing on 4 March 2026, reflecting the stature he held across party lines. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}
Analysis: what Lekota’s career says about South Africa’s party shifts
1) He symbolised the ‘principled split’ tradition. COPE’s formation was one of the first major post-1994 reminders that liberation movements can fracture — and that internal ANC battles can reshape the national landscape. Lekota’s willingness to leave the party made him a reference point for later breakaways.
2) COPE’s decline is a lesson for today’s opposition. The party rose quickly, then fell amid infighting. In a fragmented era, South African voters have more options — but parties still live or die by discipline, coherent messaging and local organisation, not only big names.
3) The liberation generation is leaving the stage. Each passing of a struggle-era figure shifts the centre of gravity: from movement legitimacy to performance legitimacy. That makes service delivery, jobs and governance increasingly decisive — and it increases voter impatience with symbolic politics.
What’s next
Expect renewed debate about where “COPE moments” sit in South Africa’s multiparty evolution — and whether modern breakaways have learned the organisational lessons of that era. Politically, tributes will emphasise Lekota’s struggle credentials; analytically, his legacy will be measured by how he helped normalise the idea that the ANC can be challenged from both outside and within its own history.
