Matlou was selfless as a leader
Life dedicated to ANC and rural folk
Born April 2 1965 Died December 3 Funeral Tomorrow, home at Sekuruwe village, Limpopo, starting at 7am
Burial At the local cemetery
One of Limpopo’s profound politicians who was an embodiment of true selflessness and a hard worker, Thupetji Cedric Matlou, has died.
Born in 1965 in Sekuruwe village, Moletji, Matlou died on Sunday after a short illness.
Matlou started his primary school at Sekuruwe Combined School and proceeded to Mogodumo High, whereafter he completed his matric at Seripa High in 1986. His political consciousness was awakened around 1985/1986 during the height of repression by the apartheid forces.
At the advent of the new democratic dispensation, Matlou was deployed to the Dendron constituency office of the ANC as an administrator and later promoted to become constituency manager for the party’s parliamentary caucus.
He was very active in the mass democratic movement like the UDF (United Democratic Front) and the South African Youth Congress (Sayco), a precursor to the ANC Youth League (ANCYL). It was Matlou’s participation in the national education crisis committee that made him recognised as one of the militant voices of his time.
Matlou played a pivotal role during the transformation of Sayco to the ANCYL, and was the chairman of the central north region of the league’s structures.
Because of his excellent organising skills, Comrade Cedric, as he was affectionately known, was first assigned the task of being a convenor of a task team that had the duty of reviving the youth league structures in the central north region.
He was a meticulous organiser who established a series of structures with ease.
He enrolled for a BA degree in social sciences at the University of the North (now University of Limpopo) and found a political home within the SA Students Congress.
During the infamous murder trial of the late Tshepo Matloga – the boy killed and driven to the Flag Boshielo Dam in which his body was later thrown to conceal evidence – Matlou led the biggest march ever seen at the Dendron police station. The march attracted the attention of the international media as it was covered by big news channels like CNN and the BBC.
Matlou was central in participatory research and assisted entities like Mvula Trust which funded development programmes in his area.
He was also involved in the development of a community sports field which was converted into a stadium.
At the time of his death, Matlou was serving as deputy chairman of ward 15 of the ANC branch in the Molemole sub-region.
He is survived by his wife, two children, one brother and two sisters.