Former speaker of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Council and deputy chairperson of the ANC in the region, Constance Bapela, has died after a short illness.
Bapela is believed to have been in her fifties at the time of her death.
She is survived by her husband, Deputy Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Obed Bapela, and their three children.
ANC spokesperson Jolidee Matongo described her death as a loss to the organisation she served her whole life.
“The ANC Joburg region received the sad news of the passing away of comrade Connie Bapela. We send condolences to the Bapela family and the entire movement and indeed it is a loss to the city of Johannesburg and the country at large. Comrade Connie was in and out of hospital for the past two months and unfortunately after she was released on Tuesday from hospital, we hoped that everything was now fine, but she passed on yesterday.”
