Steve Tshwete, 64; South African Official, Leading Apartheid Foe
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Steve Tshwete, 64, South Africa’s security minister and a leading figure in the anti-apartheid fight, died Friday night in Pretoria. He had been hospitalized April 9 for back pain, contracted pneumonia and suffered kidney failure.
President Thabo Mbeki, who ordered flags flown at half staff, said in a statement: “This untimely death has robbed our country of an outstanding freedom fighter, an [African National Congress] leader, a cabinet minister and a committed leader in the reconstruction and development of our country.”
Born in 1938, Tshwete became involved in politics at an early age. After leaving school he joined the ANC’s struggle. He was arrested in 1963 and sentenced to a 15-year term in the Robben Island prison, where former President Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years.
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