Centurion | Tuesday
SHORTLY before his death from cancer on Monday, Johannes (Joe) Modise, the country’s first post-apartheid defence minister received the Order of the Star of South Africa for meritorious service.
President Thabo Mbeki and most members of his Cabinet travelled to Modise’s home in Centurion to bestow their ailing comrade with the award.
The citation read by Mbeki’s director-general, Frank Chikane, said Modise served South Africa with courage, devotion and distinction, both as a liberation fighter and cabinet minister.
”That a stable unified force has emerged from the transformation of the SA National Defence Force and the change of its command structure, is a monument to former minister Modise’s leadership.”
Modise was born in Doornfontein, Johannesburg in 1929 and after his schooling worked as a driver for various employees.
According to his official biography, the destruction of Sophiatown in 1953 sparked his militancy. In 1956, he was one of the 156 activists charged with treason. Charges were dropped in the late 1950s.
Modise served on the high command of Umkhonto we Sizwe and in 1963 went into exile in Tanzania. He became MK commander in 1965.
He established bases in Tanzania, Angola and Uganda, and oversaw training programmes in the Eastern Bloc, Cuba, Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia and China.
A blot on Modise’s career in exile, which he later declined to comment publicly about, was the circumstances surrounding the late SACP leader Chris Hani’s sentencing to death in Tanzania for allegedly plotting a mutiny.
The execution was stopped by ANC president Oliver Tambo.
In 1967, Modise was involved in the Wankie-Sipokilo campaign, when MK forces joined briefly with Zapu’s armed wing Zipra to engage Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian’s Smith’s troops in Zimbabwe’s liberation war.
After the ANC’s unbanning, Modise was among the first group of ANC negotiators to hold talks with the apartheid government at Groote Schuur in March 1990, and was part of the ANC’s negotiating team at Kempton Park.
He became defence minister under the democratic government of then president Nelson Mandela.
In 1996, the Mail & Guardian reported that military intelligence had tried to recruit Modise in the early 1990s, as he was seen to be opposed to the ANC-SACP alliance.
This provoked a furious row, with Deputy Defence Minister Ronnie Kasrils entering the fray, and also saying the allegations were false.
Modise’s colleague spoke highly of him, attributing the SANDF’s transformation to his ”unique and personal style of leadership”.
But there were also low points in his career, including the SANDF military debacle in Lesotho in September 1998, when South Africa and Botswana were asked by the Maseru government to step in after a failed coup.
A total of 11 South African soldiers were killed and many others injured during three days of action against rebel Lesotho Defence Force troops.
In 1999, Modise along with 36 other senior ANC leaders were denied ”collective amnesty” by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for gross human rights violations committed by ordinary ANC members.
Also in 1999, Modise was among those accused by the New National Party of nepotism in the appointment of senior government officials.
This is after his wife, Jackie Sedibe, became the SANDF’s first women general.
Public Protector Selby Baqwa, who investigated the NNP’s claims, found no nepotism and said she was appointed on merit.
However, he expressed concern that Modise had considered his wife’s appointment, and said that to prevent any perception of favouritism, he should have recused himself.
In March 1999, an ailing Modise buried one of his three children, Capt Ezekiel Modise (43) who had died after a short illness.
Modise retired from active politics in June 1999.
Opposition parties reacted with surprise to the news of his award as Modise was still under investigation by arms deal investigators.
Claims that he used money from a bribe to buy shares in Conlog — a company which benefited from the arms offsets — were found to be false, although investigators said they were still probing other allegations.
Modise was actively involved in the arms procurement process during his five year term as minister. He was accused by arms critics of corruption and threatened to sue the investigative magazine Noseweek for defamation.
In a statement, President Mbeki said: ” All our thoughts are with the family during this time of grief. As a former Minister of Defence in South Africa’s democratically elected government and a veteran freedom fighter, Johannes Modise will long be remembered as a stalwart of our fight for liberation and one who served his country well.
”May his soul rest in peace.”
In October this year, newspapers reported he was dying of cancer, had withdrawn from his business interests and was now spending most of his time at his home in Centurion.
Modise died on Monday evening aged 72. He is survived by his wife and two daughters Dipuso and Lesedi. – Sapa
FEATURES:
Nkobi family distances itself from arms firm November 5, 2001
Modise linked to used MiG dealer January 15, 2001
‘Criminals have too many rights’ Modise May 18, 1999
ZA*NOW:
More of a cock-up than a conspiracy November 18, 2001
Brothers in arms had conflict of interest November 15, 2001
How Modise wangled SA’s fighter jet deal November 2, 2001
The Modise house that Denel built July 20, 2001
Defence Minister implicated in torture July 20, 2001
More ANC amnesties refused April 6, 1999