COSATU mourns the loss of its Organising Secretary, Comrade Dorothy Mokgalo. Comrade Dorothy was tragically killed when her car overturned in the early hours of the morning of Saturday 2 August 1997 on the N1 south of Johannesburg.
Her contribution to the working class struggle is virtually immeasurable. Dorothy's union work started in the mid 80's when she was a Shopsteward in National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (then Metal and Allied Workers' Union), at a company called National Bolt in Wynberg, Gauteng. She was elected secretary of the local education committee and later became acting chairperson of the National Education Committee. In 1991 she was appointed to the post of regional education officer for the NUMSA, Wits Region. While she held this position, she was also appointed National Gender Co-ordinator of NUMSA.
Her strengths and talents were so evident that within a short space of time she was appointed the first ever National Gender Co-ordinator of COSATU. Two years later she was promoted to the position of COSATU Organising Secretary, a position she held at the time of her tragic death.
In addition to her role within the Federation, she also made her mark outside of COSATU, as well as internationally. In 1996 Dorothy was elected as a member of the International Labour Organisation( ILO) Governing Body in Geneva, becoming the first woman from the labour movement in Africa to be elected to such a position. She was also a board member of International Labour Research and Information Group (ILRIG) and of South Africa's Unemployment Insurance Fund.
She also represented the labour movement on the Task Team set up by the Minister of Labour to investigate methods of payment for maternity leave. This is a key demand of workers in our struggle around the Basic Conditions of Employment Bill.
It is hard to measure the contribution a person like Comrade Dorothy has made to the working class struggle. In her compassion, her hard work, her discipline, her dedication, her sharp mind and her limitless strength, she personified the fundamental principles, values and culture of democratic trade unionism. Comrade Dorothy was a living example of COSATU's dedication to the eradication of gender oppression within the trade union movement and throughout the broader society. Those who had the honour to work with her found her a true inspiration - an unfailing comrade, trusted friend and a unifier. Dorothy will take her place in the history of the revolution alongside the rest of our heroes such as Ruth First, Lillian Ngoyi, Chris Hani, Joe Slovo and Helen Joseph.
COSATU also wants to express its shock and disgust at the way the Traffic Department and the SAPS handled this whole event. Although the accident took place in the early hours of Saturday morning, it was only after much searching and begging that, on Monday evening, we discovered what had happened.
Nobody from the police, traffic department or accident bureau saw it fit to use her car registration, her ID document or numerous other cards to trace her family or inform COSATU. Had we and her family not frantically tried to find out what had happened, we believe that we would still not have been notified!
To put her family through the trauma of not knowing what had happened to her is not only unforgivable but also unspeakably cruel! Her handbag, cellular phone and wrist watch are missing. The central question we ask, is this what happens when everybody dies so tragically? Was it because perhaps she is a worker leader or black that she was treated like this. As if this is not enough, her body was only available for identification three days after the accident happened. The public is only allowed to identify their loved ones between 10:00 and 12:00 daily. So the family had to wait until today to identify her body, after they and COSATU leadership were turned back on Monday at 19:00.
This tragedy should serve as a reminder of the challenges of transformation that lie ahead. Comrade Dorothy dedicated her entire adult life to the struggle for the dignity of human kind. Central to this is public sector transformation. We need a public sector that cares, that is prepared to service and give comfort to the bereaved that their loved ones are human beings not animals.
We call on the Provincial Government in Gauteng to conduct a thorough investigation into this incident. We demand that those responsible for this incompetence be severely punished.
Lastly, the Federation would like to take this opportunity to extend its deepest compassion and sympathy to all comrade Dorothy's family and friends. Know that you are not alone during this time, and that we feel your loss just as deeply.
Dorothy's passing away is not only a loss to the Mokgalo family, but to the entire labour movement, to both urban and rural women, and to the working class of South Afica and the world.
COSATU dips its banner in memory of our beloved Dorothy and expresses its heartfelt sympathies and deepest condolences to the members of the bereaved family.
Send your message of condolence to: COSATU Communications Department
NEDLAC expresses its shock at the tragic death of Dorothy Mokgalo. Dorothy has had a long history in the trade union movement. At the time of her death she was the National Organising Secretary of COSATU, having previously been COSATU's National Gender Co-ordinator.
The tragic death of Dorothy Mokgalo on Saturday 2 August 1997 leaves us with a sense that we have been cheated. Dorothy was an invaluable participant in NEDLAC. She brought with her a wealth of experience, which ranged from being a worker and shopsteward at National Bolt in Wynberg to representing the trade union constituency of the African continent in the International Labour Organisation.
Dorothy Mokgalo represented labour in the NEDLAC negotiations on the Labour Relations Act and the Basic Conditions of Employment Bill. She was also a labour delegate to the Trade and Industry Chamber of NEDLAC. She had been involved in strategising the implementation of the NEDLAC framework agreement on the Social Clause and in advocating the South African position on labour standards at the International Labour Organisation. Dorothy was also nominated to the board of the Unemployment Insurance Fund through NEDLAC.
Dorothy was a tireless worker representative with a strong commitment to building organisations and team work. Her warm personality and a sense of humour always made a strong impression on people she met and worked with. She has made particularly significant contributions on gender issues and worker education.
Dorothy Mokgalo has made a vast contribution to our country.
NEDLAC extends its condolences to the family and friends of Dorothy Mokgalo and to her comrades in COSATU.
The unexpected death of comrade DOROTHY MOKGALO (COSATU NATIONAL ORGANISING SECRETARY) in a car accident on Saturday morning came as a great shock. This is not just a loss to her family, but to the country and to millions of workers, who, today more than ever before, need leaders of such a calibre to lead them through the transition to democracy. NUMSA conveys its sincere and deepest condolences to the family, and to her friends and comrades.
We have lost a great martyr, an astute debater, a real representative of workers, an analyst who had a particular way of dealing with issues and resolving them successfuly. "She began to develop those leadership skills from her days in NUMSA as shop steward who was very tough and aggressive with the bosses, but who would listen to workers, give advice and encourage them," said Mbuyi Ngweda, NUMSA General Secretary.
Comrade DOROTHY will be dearly missed by all workers. She was a leader who could take pressure and who never complained about working so hard. We are going to sorely miss her incisive inputs in meetings. COSATU has lost a valuable working class leader at a crucial period of transformation - more so in that she was leading COSATU's programme of action on the Basic Conditions of Employment Bill. "Comrade Dorothy dedicated all her life to serving the community in different capacities, and it will be difficult to fill this gap," said Mbuyi Ngweda.
