By OBAKENG MAJE
The heartfelt condolences messages continue to pour in after the passing of the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality’s Chief Whip, Elvis Tladinyane. The Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) chairperson succumbed to a long illness on 9 June 2022.
The ANC in North West described Tladinyane as a unifier and a selfless leader. The ANC Interim Provincial Committee (IPC) spokesperson, Kenny Morolong said the region has lost a humble servant, a seasoned public representative, a disciplined and committed activist.
“Cde. Ma-Elvo, as he was popularly known, distinguished himself as a champion of community development and an agent of progressive change. His activism spans over three decades, having joined the struggle in the late eighties.
“Tladinyane’s political activism is well recorded in the books of our glorious movement, having led the ANC in various capacities including as a branch chairperson from 1993 to 1994 and later serving in the Regional Executive Committee (REC) of the erstwhile Vryburg region,” Morolong said.
He further said Tladinyane was also elected to the position of the Deputy Chairperson of the ANC in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati region back in 2010. Morolong added that Tladinyane also demonstrated his profound understanding of the two-stage theory through his active participation in the South African Communist Party (SACP), which he later led as a District Chairperson of the J Nkosi District, formerly known as Bophirima District in 2008.
“Cde. Elvis’ capacity for inventive thought, political maturity, and passion for service enabled the movement to deploy him into various positions of leadership in government. This included amongst others, his deployment to serve as a Member of Local Government Negotiating Forum between 1994 and 1995, a forum that laid the foundation for South Africa’s local government.
“He became part of the first cohort of municipal councillors in the post-democratic South Africa during the transitional period, serving in the Stellaland Regional Service Council in 1995,” said Morolong.
He said after the first democratic Local Government Elections (LGE), Tladinyane was elected as the mayor of the newly-established Kagisano Local Municipality. Morolong said Tladinyane was later deployed as the executive mayor of the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality, a position he held between 2011 and 2016.
“Tladinyane was later elected as the Speaker of the same municipality. By the time of his passing, he was the Chief Whip of the ANC in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality.
“His qualities and traits were not only visible in his political life, but were demonstrable in communities through the work he carried out on behalf of Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati Foundation for which he was the chairperson,” he said.
Morolong said Tladinyane was undoubtedly an accomplished activist, grounded in political and social consciousness. He said Tladinyane’s commitment to the people he served was unparalleled and unwavering.
“We dip our revolutionary black, green, and gold flag in honour of this son of the soil and convey our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, comrades, and the people of the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati. We wish them strength during this difficult period,” concluded Morolong.
Meanwhile, the SACP in North West shared the same sentiments. The SACP provincial spokesperson, Jeffrey Lesie said Tladinyane was recruited into the SACP by the ANC stalwart, the late Kaone Lobelo in the early 1990s.
“His activism within the party made him to earn respect within the SACP and the community at large. He was one of the distinct cadres of the revolution, who sacrificed his entire political life in fighting for the improvement of the lives of our people and reclaiming of the rightful position of the entire movement to our people.
“Tladinyane was one of the first South African generations, who was at the helm of introducing people’s power through local government. He was part of the collective, who went out throughout the district to establish municipal structures such as village level committees (VLC),” Lesie said.
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