Africa-Press – South-Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his condolences after the death of Peter Jones on Tuesday in Pringle Bay, the Western Cape, at the age of 72.
Jones, a struggle stalwart who was part of the establishment of the first branch of the Black People’s Convention in the Western Cape in the 1970s and later served as a vice president of the Azanian People’s Organisation (Azapo), was arrested with Seve Biko in 1977 before apartheid police murdered Biko.
Jones was also arrested, tortured, and detained.
In a statement released on Sunday, Ramaphosa said: “PC Jones was a selfless and resolute liberation leader, a Black Consciousness stalwart who put up a good fight against racial oppression. He devotedly fought for black pride and freedom.
“May his soul rest in peace and his contribution be remembered for many generations to come.
“My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, Azapo, and all those who knew and loved PC Jones.”
Last week, the ANC in the Western Cape also paid its respects to him.
“He suffered continued persecution from the apartheid regime and was banned and given house arrest in Macassar near Somerset West,” said ANC Western Cape spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni in a statement.
“PC contributed immensely to the liberation struggle and he together with many activists in the Black Consciousness Movement kept the fires burning when the liberation movement as led by the ANC was banned and its leaders jailed and exiled.
“They inspired black people to believe in the course for freedom in the face of despair and a culture of fear and intimidation. The black consciousness movement inspired the student uprisings, inspired the ultimate launch of the United Democratic Front and various sites of struggle.
“The ANC joins the people of the Western Cape [where he spent most of his adult life] and the people of the country as a whole in mourning this upright freedom fighter.”
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