Itumeleng Mafisa

The South African Council of Churches (SACC) has expressed sadness at the passing of Ilse Naude, the wife of the former secretary-general of the SACC, Beyers Naude.

Ilse died of a heart attack on Thursday in Cape Town. She was 98.

After succeeding Archbishop Desmond Tutu as leader of the SACC, Beyers Naude pressured the apartheid government for the release of political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela.

He died at the age of 89 in 2004.

“We are saddened by the news of Mrs Naude’s passing. She and her husband contributed a lot to the liberation of the South African people from oppression, at a time when it took so much from their family,” said the secretary-general of the SACC, Mautji Pataki.

Pataki described Ilse Naude as a strong and God-fearing woman who supported her husband in doing God’s work. “We honour the kind of selfless approach the couple took,” he said.

The religious couple were politically involved in the liberation struggle.

Yesterday Sapa reported that the couple’s son, Herman Naude, said his mother would be buried at the weekend. The service would be held at the NG Gemeente Aasvoelkop in Northcliff, Johannesburg,

“It is the same church in which we held my father’s service,” he said.

A close Naude family friend and former minister, Sydney Mufamadi, said Ilse was always a pillar of strength for Beyers, even after countless arrests and banning orders.

“I would always sneak into their home at night, and Ilse cared not only about Beyers, but about his comrades as well. She would ask how my family were. I think Beyers became the man he was because of the unconditional love he got from Ilse. You could see her commitment to her husband’s work,” said Mufamadi.

President Jacob Zuma also expressed his condolences to the Naude family, saying: “We will always remember Tannie Ilse as the pillar beside her late husband, Dr Naude.”

She leaves four children, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

itumelengm@thenewage.co.za