President Ramaphosa offers condolences to Angola on passing of former President dos Santos

President Cyril Ramaphosa offers his condolences to Angola on the passing of former President José Eduardo dos Santos.

Dos Santos passed away on Friday at the age of 79, following an extended period of illness and hospitalisation in Spain.

He had ruled Angola for 40 years.

President Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says Dos Santos was an esteemed Member of the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo, an honour bestowed on him by South Africa on Freedom Day in 2010.

Ramaphosa says, “I offer, on behalf of our Government and nation, our sincerest condolences to the Republic of Angola on the passing of an outstanding revolutionary and leader of a nation.

“Pres Dos Santos’ humble beginnings, his militancy, his exile from the country of his birth and his education in the then Soviet Union resonate profoundly with the journey many South Africans in our own liberation movement experienced. “Indeed, José Eduardo dos Santos and the MPLA (Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola) he came to lead extended their revolutionary solidarity and material and military support to our liberation movement,” adds President Ramaphosa.