Jessie Yasmin Duarte, South African politician and acting secretary-general of the African National Congress, has passed away.
As a long-time anti-apartheid activist, Duarte served in many roles throughout her career. Ranging from her role as a special assistant to Nelson Mandela, her role as a member of the provincial cabinet for Gauteng, one of the providences of South Africa, as an ambassador to Mozambique, and as a renowned spokesperson for the African National Congress, all of these led her to her latest post before her death as the Deputy Secretary-General of the ANC in 2012.
Following the news of her death, Twitter was filled with outpourings of her death and all she achieved in her life. Many mourned her cancer passing as a significant loss for South Africa and revolutionaries everywhere.
Jessie Duarte’s Death From Illness
The African National Congress made a statement early in the morning of Sunday, July 17, 2022, that Jessie Duarte had passed away.
According to the statement, the ANC stated that Duarte had been on medical leave since November 2021 and was undergoing treatment for cancer. Sadly, she lost the battle and passed away.
The news of her death comes just months after the media falsely claimed she had passed away on April 24, 2022. Because of the previous hoax, many people found it hard to believe Duarte had passed away; only after the ANC made the statement did the news begin to be taken seriously.
At 68, Duarte had achieved many things in her career. The ANC’s statement named her a committed internationalist and former diplomat South Africa will mourn at large.
Twitter exploded with news of her death. Many people celebrated her struggle for a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, prosperous, and just South Africa. Women, more specifically, celebrated her relentless championing of the emancipation and empowerment of women in South Africa.
According to Muslim rites, the statement ends by saying that Duarte will be buried in Johannesburg on the afternoon of July 17, 2022.
Did Jessie Duarte Have a Husband?
Jessie Duarte was married to John Duarte until 2001 when they divorced.
She had two children with John Duarte, one male, and one female. Not much is known about her children, as Jessie Duarte went to great pains to make sure that her children weren’t in the limelight.
She is also the sister of acclaimed South African writer and poet Achmat Dangor, known for his novels Kafka’s Curse and Bitter Fruit. He passed away on September 6, 2020.
As far as the media knows, Jessie Duarte’s son is the owner of a company that deals with information technology. John Duarte used to be just as anonymous, but last year, his name began to surface in media outlets for all the wrong reasons.
On May 24, 2021, various reports revealed that John Duarte’s name appeared in the Gupta contract money flows. This revelation pertains to the Gupta family, who has become synonymous with corruption in South Africa.
According to various news outlets, John Duarte reportedly worked with Salim Essa, an associate of the Gupta family. The reports state that they worked together with Malcolm Mabaso, a former advisor to Mosebenzi Zwane, to launder money.
When the news broke out, Jessie Duarte worked at length to make sure the media knew that her children were not associated with the Gupta Family.
Jessie Duarte’s Qualifications
More so than anything else in her life, Jessie Duarte will be remembered for her various accomplishments and qualifications.
Jessie started her professional career by working as a management accountant. In 1979, however, she was recruited by Albertina Sisulu to set up women’s structures all over South Africa.
Two years after that, in 1981, she saw her serving as Secretary of the Federation of Transvaal Women. Concurrently, she also worked with Reverend Beyers Naude to establish and administer a scholarship fund.
Her career was brought to a halt when in 1988, she was detained without undergoing a trial. Luckily she was released but placed under restriction orders until the state of emergency was lifted.
Since then, Duarte accomplished many things and held positions that brought about change in South Africa. For this, she is remembered and mourned.