Mluleki Editor George (2 February 1948 – 5 January 2021) was a South African activist, politician and sports administrator. He served as a Deputy

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...

from 2004 to 2008.

Political career

George joined the banned

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) in 1972, and was arrested by the apartheid government, and sentenced to five years in prison in 1978, some of which he spent on

Robben Island Robben Island ( af, Robbeneiland) is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afrik ...

. On his release, he was a founder member of the United Democratic Front in 1983. He was elected as a Member of the

National Assembly of South Africa The National Assembly is the directly elected house of the Parliament of South Africa, located in Cape Town, Western Cape. It consists of four hundred members who are elected every five years using a party-list proportional representation syste ...

for the ANC in the first non-racial elections in 1994, and remained in the role until 2013. Originally elected as a member of the ANC, he along with a number of other

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 ...

supporters, he joined the breakaway Congress of the People after the election of

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...

as party president in 2008. He served as treasurer-general of the Congress of the People. In 2013, disillusioned by the leadership of leader

Mosiuoa Lekota Mosiuoa Gerard Patrick Lekota (born 13 August 1948) is a South African politician, who currently serves as the President and Leader of the Congress of the People since 16 December 2008. Previously as a member of the African National Congress, ...

, he founded a new political party, the

United Congress The United Congress is a long-standing artist collective active in Calgary, Alberta from the late 1980s to the present day. The group combines conceptual art, silkscreen, music, constructed language, abstraction, and anti-art in its activities. A ...

, which he said would restore the moral fibre of society.

Sport career

George had a long career in sports administration, with his first high-profile role being president of the Border Rugby Union. He held this role until 1976, when he was arrested. After his release from prison, he was again elected president, and remained in the position from 1986 to 1991. George was a founder member of the National Sports Council in 1988, a founder and executive member of the National Olympic Committee of South Africa in 1989, and chairperson of the

South African Football Association The South African Football Association (colloquially known as SAFA) is the national administrative governing body that controls the sport of football in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and is a member of the Confederation of African Football ...

for the first year of its existence, from 1991. He was president of the National Sports Council and United Border Rugby Union from 1991 to 2001, a vice-president of the

South African Rugby Football Union The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to World Rugby. It was established in 1992 as the South African Rugby Football Union, from the merger of the South African Rugby Board ...

from 1993 until 1998 and a member of the

International Rugby Board World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rug ...

from 1994 to 1997. George was a board member of

South African Rugby Union The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to World Rugby. It was established in 1992 as the South African Rugby Football Union, from the merger of the South African Rugby Board a ...

from 2003.

Death

George died from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

on 5 January 2021, during the

COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa The COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa is part of the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). On 5 March 2020, Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize had conf ...

. He was 72 years old.Covid-19 claims 'sport unifier' Mluleki George
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References

External links

* 1948 births 2021 deaths Xhosa people Congress of the People (South African political party) politicians African National Congress politicians Government ministers of South Africa Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa Members of the National Assembly of South Africa {{EasternCape-politician-stub