A giant called Lenin Shope is sleeping
Will be sorely missed
The African continent and world at large is mourning the death of former South African High Commissioner to Botswana and career diplomat, Ambassador Lenin Magigwane Shope who died last week at his official residence in Dakar, Senegal.
The cause of death was not known at the time of writing or when his body would be flown to South Africa.
Shope was a seasoned diplomat in the South African diplomatic service. He served with distinction in countries like Australia, Botswana, Cuba and Italy and was based in Senegal at the time of his demise.
He served in Botswana alongside Mthembisi Mjikeliso and the then Chargé d’Affaires, Nelis Strydom. He contributed towards solidifying relations between Botswana and South Africa, the highlight of his service being the establishment of the epic Bi- National Commission of Cooperation that was signed and entered into on 30 August 2012 between South Africa and Botswana. The struggle of South Africa will never be complete without mentioning the Shope family. All history and documentaries concerning apartheid South Africa depict both parents - the late father Mark and mother Gertrude - as antiapartheid fighters.
I last met Shope in January 2020 in Malawi when we shared the same residence for a week; this is when we would discuss any topic under the sun. In one of our discussions I asked him what his relationship with Gertrude was. Then I told him how I first met Gertrude on her visit to Gaborone in 1997, when she and Terror Lekota had been assigned to represent African National Congress at the Botswana Democratic Party ( BDP) national congress.
I told him how despite their ages, both Gertrude and Terror spent the entire night dancing with BDP members who were waiting for the congress election results and passed time through song and dance. In response Lenin exclaimed, “You really met my mother! that is typical of her”.
CONDOLENCES
In a widely circulated condolence message to the Shope family, South Africa President, Cyril Ramaphosa wrote, “Our country and one of our distinguished revolutionary families have lost a son who dedicated himself to attaining our freedom and establishing and deepening the democratic South Africa’s relations with our partners’’. The Cuban government through its embassy in Pretoria also sent its message of condolence in memory of Ambassador Lenin Shope. It described Shope’s passing as a “great loss indeed not only for South Africa, but for Cuba as well”. It explained that Shope went to Cuba as a young student in 1976 and transited through all “our education system”. From 1982- 1986 he trained as Engineer at Technological University of Havana ( CUJAE). “Cubans loved him because he was one of us. He celebrated and suffered for many years with his Cubans brothers and sisters”. Shope was Ambassador of South Africa in Cuba from 2003- 2007 during which time he expanded to new levels the historical and special relations of friendship, solidarity and cooperation between Cuba and South Africa. His sister, Thaninga Shope- Linney is presently South African Ambassador in Cuba, following in the steps of her brother.