Vusi Mhlongo, an ANC Youth League national executive and working committee member, died in hospital in Tongaat, KwaZulu-Natal, on Christmas Eve, the league announced on Wednesday.
Described by his organisation as a “soft-spoken economic freedom fighter”, he was known for paying close attention to detail and understanding the relationship between theory and practice, spokesperson Floyd Shivambu said in a statement.
“There was never a single mass meeting or rally of the ANC Youth League under the leadership of comrade Vusi as an organiser that failed or got postponed due to poor preparations.”
Mhlongo was also part of the ANC’s delegation that helped the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement mobilise successfully for the secession of Southern Sudan, Shivambu added.
“This he did not for personal gain, but in appreciation of the reality that real freedom for the oppressed people of the African continent is intractably linked to the total political, social and economic liberation of the entire African continent.”
Jackson Mthembu, spokesperson for the league’s parent body, said Mhlongo joined the ANC in the early 1980s and “worked tirelessly in contributing to towards the attainment of democracy”.
The statement made no mention of Mhlongo’s age or cause of death.
Mhlongo’s funeral will be held at KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal, on Friday. — Sapa