Isaac Lesiba Maphotho (26 February 1931 – 13 July 2019) was a South African
anti-apartheid activist
The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM), was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid, apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-White population who were persecuted by ...
, revolutionary leader,
African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...
(ANC) stalwart and
Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) veteran. Maphotho had previously served as a Member of the
Limpopo Provincial Legislature
The Limpopo Provincial Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province of Limpopo.
It is unicameral in its composition, and elects the premier and the provincial cabinet, the Limpopo Executive Council, from among the ...
.
Early life
Isaac Lesiba Maphotho was born in Ga-Makgato in the then
Transvaal province
The Province of the Transvaal ( af, Provinsie van Transvaal), commonly referred to as the Transvaal (; ), was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Trans ...
on 26 February 1931. He fulfilled his Standard 6 (Grade 8) education at the Uitkyk Secondary School in 1952. Maphotho soon relocated to
Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...
later in the same year in order to seek employment. He was employed by the Pretoria City Council, working in the now-defunct
Department of Native Affairs
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
.
Career
He later became a member of the ANC and consequent party organiser in the areas of
Benoni and
Atteridgeville
Atteridgeville is a township located to the west of Pretoria, South Africa. It is located to the east of Saulsville, to the west of West Park; to the north of Laudium and to the south of Lotus Gardens. The settlement was established in 1939, and ...
. He was one of the initial recruits of the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) organisation, which was founded in December 1961. Maphotho became involved in underground activities of the ANC prior to him leaving the country to go to
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...
on 28 February 1961. The ANC deployed him to the
Beirut International School in 1962. He returned to Dar es Salaam in 1963 and was soon sent for military training in the now-dissolved
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
.
Maphotho served as the commander of the Luthuli Detachment. After fulfilling his training in 1965, he was deployed to the Kongwa Camp in
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
, from which he was a commander until 1967, and was promoted to the post of Chief Logistics Officer of the Detachment. The
Rhodesian security personnel arrested him on 6 April 1968. He was sentenced to death on 9 August 1968 and imprisoned at the Khami Maximum Prison. He was released by the
Zimbabwe Government of Prime Minister
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the ...
on 14 May 1980.
During the 1980s, he travelled to various countries during his tenure as a leader of the ANC to muster international support for the ANC against the
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
government. Maphotho returned to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
in 1992. He served in the
Limpopo Provincial Government and as a Member of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature. He helped initiate the Limpopo Premier's Bursary Fund. President
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki KStJ (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who was the second president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Congress (ANC ...
awarded him the
Order of Luthuli
The Order of Luthuli is a South African honour. It was instituted on 30 November 2003, and is granted by the President (government title), president of South Africa, for contributions to South Africa in the following fields: (i) the struggle for ...
in Silver in 2006.
Death and legacy
Maphotho died of
natural causes
In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...
during the early hours of 13 July 2019 at his home in Bendor,
. National Spokesperson of the ANC,
Pule Mabe
Puleng Peter Mabe (born 19 March 1980) is a South African politician and a member of the African National Congress.
Mabe is the current national spokesperson for the African National Congress, the current ruling party of South Africa. Mabe succee ...
, confirmed his death. He was 88 years old at the time of his death. President
Cyril Ramaphosa
Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician who is currently serving as the fifth democratically elected president of South Africa. Formerly an anti-apartheid activist, trade union leader, and ...
declared on 17 July 2019 that a
state funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...
would be held for Maphotho. His funeral was held on 21 July 2019. President Ramaphosa delivered the eulogy. He is the first person to be buried at the newly-established Heroes Acre section of the Silicon Cemetery in
.
The ANC Polokwane branch is named after Maphotho.
Ramaphosa pays tribute to 'Bra Ike' Maphoto at special official funeral for ANC veteran
Retrieved on 21 July 2019.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maphotho, Isaac Lesiba
1931 births
2019 deaths
People from Limpopo
African National Congress politicians
South African activists
Anti-apartheid activists
South African revolutionaries
UMkhonto we Sizwe personnel
Members of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature
Members of the Order of Luthuli