Former Finance Minister Trevor Manuel.
- Former finance minister Trevor Manuel’s mother has died of Covid-19, the ANC in the Western Cape says.
- The party has saluted all the Mrs Manuels of the world for the support they showed their children during the struggle.
- On the same day, the Eastern Cape government expressed condolences to the family of former MEC Max Mamase. The cause of his death was not stated.
The mother of former finance minister Trevor Manuel has died of Covid-19.
Philma Manuel turned 94 on Sunday. She died on Thursday.
According to a statement issued by the ANC in the Western Cape, Philma Manuel was a garment worker who was widowed when her husband died in 1969. At the time, Trevor Manuel was 13.
She raised Trevor and his sisters, Pamela, Beryl and Renecia, as a single parent.
“Years ago, Mrs Manuel said, in an interview about her life, that her son’s political activism prior to 1994 was ‘particularly stressful for me.
READ | Covid-19: Elderly, staff feeling the trauma of outbreaks at old age homes
“He was always either on the run from the Security Police or in detention. I would never in my wildest dreams have imagined that the years of anguish would culminate in him being elected as a Cabinet Minister in the Government of National Unity’.
“We salute Mrs Manuel and mothers like her, who gave their children to our struggle. But they went beyond giving their offspring, they also joined and supported them. We will be forever grateful to all the Mrs Manuels of our country,” the party said.
Mrs Manuel is survived by her son and daughters, 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Eastern Cape mourns death of former MEC Max Mamase
Meanwhile, Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has sent his condolences to the family of former health MEC, Max Mamase, who also died this week.
The cause of death was not stated.
In a statement from the premier’s office on Thursday, spokesperson Mvusiwekhaya Sicwetsha said Mamase had played a vital role in the country’s struggle for liberation and in the development of the country.
“As part of this, he was deployed to various provincial government departments as an MEC for housing, local government and traditional affairs, and agriculture. Premier Mabuyane thanks him for his service to the people of our country,” Sicwetsha said.
He added, “On behalf of the Eastern Cape provincial government, Premier Mabuyane sends heartfelt condolences to the family of Mr Mamase, his friends, loved ones, including members of the ANC, of which he was a member, and his colleagues who worked with him in various areas of responsibility.”
