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The ANC was saddened to learn of the untimely passing of Ambassador Mpendulo “Squire” Jele at his home in Tshwane.Comrade Squire was born on 1 December 1955, the son of Josiah Khiphusizi ‘’JJ” Jele and Simangele Khumalo.

He was a teacher by profession, calling, and passion. During the 1980s he played a leading role in the Mamelodi Teachers Union (MATU), the National Education Union of South Africa (NEUSA), the National Education Crisis Committee (NECC) and the formation of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU).

He was also a founder member and secretary of the Mamelodi Civic Association and supported and mentored members of the Mamelodi Youth Organisation. He was an active member of the ANC underground and uMkhonto weSizwe. He joined the then Department of Foreign Affairs in 1995 and played an active role in transforming the direction and orientation of South Africa’s international relations: asserting the centrality of Africa and the Global South in a unipolar world dominated by the United States.

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Issued by ANC