I’m deeply saddened by news of the passing of an inspirational leader, a working class hero, and a mother to so many of my generation.

Mama Emma Mashinini’s courageous and principled leadership of the trade union movement encouraged many of us to find a worthy cause in the struggle of the workers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She served the trade union movement from the 1950s and was a stalwart of the Garment Workers’ Union and the Commercial, Catering and Allied Worker’s Union of South Africa (CCAWUSA) that she established in 1975.

She was present at the adoption of the Freedom Charter at the Congress of the People in 1955, and at the founding of COSATU in 1985. She joined the Department of Justice and Reconciliation in the Anglican Church in 1986 providing counsel and support to the families of political detainees. As the Director General of Labour in a free South Africa, I found in her a reliable counsel as we forged a labour policy framework that sought to underscore decent work and human dignity in employment.

As a principled soldier in the struggle for freedom, she needed no persuasion in joining us to establish the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC) in 2010. In March 2011, she joined us when we launched “Red Card Corruption”, a campaign intended to create a collaborative platform between government and other societal stakeholders in order to defeat the scourge of corruption in our society.

She was a jealous guardian of our hard earned freedom. As CASAC, we recommit ourselves to stay the course and continue where she left off in defence and advancement of our constitutional order. Hers was a life rich in its dedication to the selfless struggle for worker’s rights, gender equality and the human dignity for all the people in our country. She represents an era of venerable leaders who served us so well. The best tribute we can offer to her and her ilk is to nurture a new generation of such servant leaders.

Hamba Kahle Mama Emma