Cape Town – Family, friends and comrades of late whistle-blower Vytjie Mentor gathered in Cape Town on Tuesday for a memorial service honouring the life and works of the stalwart.
Mentor passed away last week after a long battle with illness.
As a former ANC MP and then later a member of ActionSA, Mentor was one of the first people to break ranks with the ANC and raise the alarm over state capture.
The memorial service was held at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Strand Street on Tuesday morning.
ActionSA said in a statement that Mentor's death was a terrible loss for her family and for many South Africans.
“Aside from leaving a special mark on the lives of those around her, Mentor lived a remarkable life in service to South Africa that we believe she must be celebrated nationally,” Action SA said.
Party leader Herman Mashaba said during the service: “It is difficult to do justice to the life of someone who stood as a giant amongst ordinary men and women. It is a task that I do not envy but a task that falls to me nonetheless. It is a story that needs to be told to a nation who know too little about the life of one of South Africa’s bravest women. As I tell this story, I have little doubt that you will understand why I came to love and respect Vytjie so much.
“Vytjie was born in Kimberly in 1963. Her mother was a schoolteacher and her father was the first black African police station commander serving in Welkom. Vytjie used to tell us how her political consciousness arose from her mother, who was constantly involved in women’s development programmes in their community. Vytjie’s father grew nervous of her political involvement and sent her away to boarding school in the rural Northern Cape...
“With the advent of democracy, Vytjie worked in the Department of Education and then later as a councillor in Kimberly where she became an MMC for Social Development. She used to recount this job as one of her favourite experiences because of the work she did in providing clean water to communities.
“When asked about taking the hard choices she has made in her life and doing what was unpopular, Vytjie used to tell us that she regretted nothing. Vytjie believed what was right was right and she believed what was wrong was wrong. She did not believe that truth, ethics or virtue could be bent for political expediency. For this she paid the price and was persecuted, yet she persisted to do what was right,” said Mashaba.
To watch the memorial service, visit:
Cape Times