WATCH | Here is why Pandor says ANC needs renewal to honour Ma Shope

Pandor

Pretoria – Former International Relations Minister Dr Naledi Pandor honoured the late ANC veteran and former Women’s League president Gertrude “Ma” Shope during a memorial lecture in Pretoria North on Sunday, highlighting her legacy and concerns about the ANC’s decline.

Shope, who died on May 22, 2025, at the age of 99, was a uMkhonto weSizwe leader, the first president of the ANCWL after its 1991 relaunch, and a long-serving ANC national executive member.

Pandor said Shope was deeply aware of corruption, poor governance, and the erosion of ANC values, warning that leaders were putting themselves above the party and undermining its revolutionary traditions.

“Sadly, she also knew of the corruption that had dragged the revolutionary morality of our leaders down. She was aware of our failures at the local government level and of the inadequate capacity to serve, which is prevalent in our public service.

“She was keenly aware of the decline of her beloved organisation, the African National Congress, decline, not just in electoral outcomes, but also in the ability to maintain the essential character of the ANC, as a leader of society and as a reflection of political values that constitute commitment to serve the people,” Pandor said.

She stressed Shope’s belief in renewal, national dialogue, and the ANC’s duty to serve the people.

“She would have welcomed the initiative of a national dialogue as a step towards strengthening social cohesion and as a platform for creating a foundation for unity of purpose and shared resolve among all South Africans,” Pandor said.

“Mam Shope understood the complexities of leadership and continued to offer sage advice on our democracy very late into her well-lived life. She never said, ‘I am now old, I am tired, I have nothing to say.’ She was active right until the end, active and aware.”

Internationally, Pandor said Shope would have condemned Israel’s violations of international law, comparing her struggle against apartheid to the resilience of women in Gaza.

She described Shope as a lifelong activist who continued to guide South Africa’s democracy until her final days and urged decisive action against crime to honour her legacy.

Follow African Insider on Facebook, X and Instagram

Picture: X/@PresidencyZA

For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com

Compiled by Betha Madhomu

Article written by