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South Africa’s former defence minister and anti-apartheid campaigner Mosiuoa Lekota has died at the age of 77.<\/p>\n
He played a key role in the struggle against the racist system of apartheid and was imprisoned on Robben Island alongside former President Nelson Mandela.<\/p>\n
Lekota was also a leader of the African National Congress (ANC) before he broke away to form a rival party, the Congress of the People (Cope), citing allegations of corruption in the party which has led South Africa since 1994.<\/p>\n
He died after a “period of illness”, Cope said in a statement.<\/p>\n
President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to the “freedom fighter and a servant of the people”.<\/p>\n
“His life was one of resilience, courage, and steadfast belief in justice,” Ramaphosa said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Lekota was one of South Africa’s longest-serving ministers, heading the defence ministry for a decade between 1998-2008.<\/p>\n
He also served as the chairperson of the ANC for a decade and was the first premier of the newly-established Free State province after 1994, when South Africa entered a democratic era.<\/p>\n
Lekota, nicknamed “Terror” due to his prowess on the football field, left the ANC in 2008 shortly after former South African President Thabo Mbeki was removed by the party.<\/p>\n
Among his reasons for leaving was disillusionment with how the ANC was governing and mounting allegations of corruption against some of its senior leaders.<\/p>\n
Additional reporting by Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg<\/em><\/p>\nMore about South Africa from the BBC:<\/h2>\n