Mosiuoa Terror Lekota Dies at 77

Mosiuoa Terror Lekota, a prominent antiapartheid activist and former South African defense minister, died at the age of 77 after a prolonged illness, his political party announced on Wednesday. He passed away in a Johannesburg hospital in the early hours of the morning, surrounded by family members.

Lekota's death marks the end of a long and influential career in South African politics and activism. Born in Kroonstad in the Free State province, he began his political involvement as a student at the University of the North, where he was expelled for participating in the Student Representative Council and the Black Consciousness Movement. As the elected permanent organizer for the South African Students' Organisation, he was arrested in 1974 and sentenced to prison on Robben Island for treason. He served eight years there alongside other antiapartheid leaders, including Nelson Mandela, until his release in 1982.

Even after his initial release, Lekota continued his activism against white minority rule, leading to his rearrest and another four-year imprisonment during the 1985 Delmas Treason Trial. Upon his full release in 1987, he joined the United Democratic Front and later the...