'A leader of humility and service': ANC mourns death of Women's League deputy president
Announcing her death, the ANC described Mnganga-Gcabashe as a leader whose life had embodied principled leadership, humility and unyielding love for her people.
Mnganga-Gcabashe died on Saturday, leaving behind a lasting legacy that the ANC says will continue to inspire generations.
In a statement, the ANC said her death leaves a deep void within the movement and the nation. The party described her as a beacon of calm during turbulent times, a voice of reason amid chaos and a steady hand in rebuilding the country's democracy.
Born in KwaMashu on October 27, 1960, Mnganga-Gcabashe's political consciousness was shaped by the struggles of her community, marked by pain, violence and resistance.
She did not enter politics for personal advancement but was driven by a sense of duty, elected by her community to serve on peace committees during some of KwaZulu-Natal's most violent years, the ANC said.
The party highlighted how her early activism in the United Democratic Front, the Natal Organisation of Women and the ANC bore the hallmarks of her character: selflessness, empathy, courage and conviction. It said she belonged to a generation of women who walked gently but carried within them the fire of justice. She helped build the ANCWL from the ground up, house to house, woman by woman.
'She was never too senior to listen, never too distant to serve. Whether as a volunteer organiser in the townships, a provincial chairperson of the ANCWL or a national leader of our movement, Comrade Lungi remained grounded in the values of our struggle: humility, revolutionary discipline and people-centred leadership. In parliament, she embodied quiet strength and ethical oversight. As chairperson of the portfolio committee on public enterprises, and most recently as chairperson of the portfolio committee on tourism, she worked with care, compassion, and integrity. She demanded accountability not for applause, but for the betterment of the lives of ordinary people.
'She made oversight an act of love — love for the constitution, for public institutions and, above all, for the people. To the end, she remained a committed builder of our movement,' the party said.
It said her recent election as deputy president of the Women's League in 2023 reflected the trust, admiration and respect she earned across generations.
'Her message was always rooted in hope and responsibility. She urged communities not to destroy schools, clinics, libraries and halls, reminding us that these were the very instruments of freedom our people had fought for. Hers was a voice that pleaded for unity, for discipline and for generational duty to protect what has been built. Comrade Lungi was a mother, a mentor, a comrade and a patriot.'
The party said her loss was deeply felt by the Women's League, her family, her colleagues in parliament, the ANC as a whole and the nation at large.
'But even as we mourn, we remember her smile, her soft-spoken strength, and her unwavering faith in the capacity of ordinary people to change the world. To her family: thank you for sharing her with the nation. To the women of South Africa: may her life be a reminder that dignity and power can live side by side.'
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