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Message: [QUOTE="Queen, post: 87874, member: 27"] A 77-year-old liberation veteran's death forced South Africa to reckon with a political life defined by zero-compromise conviction. Willie Madisha's tribute to Lekota [LIST] [*]Willie Madisha praised Mosiuoa Lekota's unshakable principles. [*]Lekota once publicly corrected Mandela at a congress. [*]Madisha acknowledged later disagreements but kept deep respect. [*]Their bond outlasted political friction within COPE. [/LIST] Lekota's anti-apartheid roots [LIST] [*]Mosiuoa Lekota was born in Kroonstad in 1948. [*]His expulsion from university followed student-politics involvement. [*]Robben Island became his reality after 1974 rally organizing. [*]Delmas Treason Trial kept him locked up until 1988. [/LIST] Post-democracy career highlights [LIST] [*]Lekota became the Free State's first Premier after 1994. [*]Thabo Mbeki tapped him as Defence Minister in 1999. [*]His ANC National Chairperson tenure ran from 1997 to 2007. [/LIST] COPE's founding and Lekota's loyalty [LIST] [*]Lekota ditched the ANC and co-founded COPE in 2008. [*]Anti-corruption and better governance drove the new party. [*]Shrinking support never pushed him to abandon COPE. [*]He refused to rejoin politics, clashing with the Constitution. [/LIST] Final chapter and passing [LIST] [*]Lekota stepped away from active politics in August 2025. [*]His death came on 4 March 2026 in Midrand, Johannesburg. [*]COPE labeled the loss devastating for the party and country. [*]His family requested privacy during their grieving period. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]

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