Mama Sobukwe passes away at 91

The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) is mourning the loss of Mama Zondeni Veronica Sobukwe, who was the wife of its founder, Robert Sobukwe.

She passed away early on Wednesday morning at the age of 91.

Mama Sobukwe, also known as “The Mother of Azania,” was a health practitioner and an activist in her own right.

She repeatedly wrote to the apartheid government during the nine years her husband was imprisoned on Robben Island from 1960, requesting his release or to be allowed a meeting with him.

PAC President Narius Moloto described Mama Sobukwe as a woman who firmly supported her husband.

“We can confirm that Mama Sobukwe passed on at 2 o’clock. She was ill, recently she was in hospital. We are saddened by her passing but we celebrate her life and call her ‘the mother of Azania’. She was a woman of skill. She supported her husband while he went through tribulations. She remained firm behind him.”

Watch for reaction from PAC leadership: