JOHANNESBURG – ANC Women’s League convenor Baleka Mbete said Jessie Duarte’s death couldn’t have come at a worse time for the embattled party.
She was speaking at Duarte’s memorial service in Johannesburg on Thursday afternoon.
The party’s deputy secretary general died on Sunday.
Her passing comes amid intense preparations for the ANC's policy conference set for next week and the elective conference expected to unfold in December.
In the build-up to the two all-important conferences, the party has faced a string of controversies, including the implication of party leaders in fraud and corruption.
Some of the unresolved leadership disputes at branches also threaten to disrupt conference.
Mbete told party members Duarte’s death had left a gap and her absence would be felt most at conference: “We get riddled with disputes every where and Jessie would be dashing up and down, in and out of provinces and helping to resolve the disputes.”
She said Duarte's work should be compiled into a guide that could help the ANC: “I really think that the record of the work that she has been compiling as to how best to do this, should be brought together into a manual to help the movement.”
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