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President Cyril Ramaphosa is deeply saddened by the passing of struggle stalwart and former Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad.

Mr Essop Goolam Pahad has passed away at the age of 84.

President Ramaphosa offers his deep condolences to the family, friends and comrades of the late veteran.

President Ramaphosa said: “We mourn the passing of a veteran of our struggle, 65 years after he took his first revolutionary step of becoming a member of the Transvaal Indian Congress.

“Security crackdowns, banning and exile shaped Essop Pahad’s contribution over decades to our struggle and, as Parliamentary Counsellor to President Thabo Mbeki and Minister in the Presidency, to the early design and impact of our democratic state.

“Essop Pahad was a thinker and strategist who brought his understanding of the human condition, injustice and inequality at the national and international level to bear on our transition to democracy and in introducing a democratic, non-aligned and activist South Africa to the global community.

“He served our nation with pride, principle, pragmatism, and a charm that that lived comfortably alongside a tongue that could lash severely at the right provocation.

“Amid the excessive demands of his public life, Essop Pahad was deeply devoted to his wife, Meg, and was a proud and doting father and grandfather, who is now sorely missed. May his soul rest in peace.”

Issued by GCIS on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa