Lekoba Jack Tolo (21 November 1948 – 22 August 2011) was a South African politician and Christian minister. He was a Member of Parliament from 1994 until his death in 2011 and served in both the Senate and the National Assembly. He represented the African National Congress until 2009, when he defected to the Congress of the People. He died in August 2011 in an armed robbery.
Jack Tolo | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office May 1994 – 22 August 2011 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lekoba Jack Tolo 21 November 1948 GaMasha, Northern Transvaal Union of South Africa |
| Died | 22 August 2011 (aged 62) GaMasha, Limpopo Republic of South Africa |
| Political party | Congress of the People (2009–2011) |
| Other political affiliations | African National Congress (1977–2009) |
Early life and career
editTolo was born on 21 November 1948[1] in the village of GaMasha in Sekhukhune in the former Transvaal Province.[2] His first language was Sepedi.[2] He became a bishop in the Apostolic Church in 1976.[2][1] At the same time, he joined the African National Congress (ANC), then an anti-apartheid organisation, in 1977.[2] Before entering politics full-time, he worked as a driver, including as a tractor driver on a dairy farm in the Transvaal.[1]
Legislative career: 1994–2011
editIn South Africa's first post-apartheid elections in 1994, Tolo was elected to represent the ANC in the Northern Transvaal caucus of the Senate.[3] Before the end of the legislative term, he was transferred to a seat in the National Assembly, the lower house,[4] where he served the rest of his career. In 1999[5] and 2004,[6] he was elected to two further consecutive terms in the National Assembly, where he represented the Limpopo constituency.
However, ahead of the 2009 general election, Tolo resigned from the ANC and defected to the Congress of the People, a new breakaway party.[1] When the election was held, he was returned to Parliament under COPE's banner from the party's national party list.[7]
Personal life and death
editTolo was married to Salome Tolo, with whom he had seven children.[1] He was shot dead in the early hours of 22 August 2011 during an armed robbery at his home in GaMasha.[8][9] Seven suspects were arrested and three were convicted of his murder in 2013.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e "MPs hold memorial service for Tolo". IOL. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Motion Of Condolence (The Late Bishop L J Tolo)". People's Assembly. 24 August 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ South Africa: Campaign and Election Report April 26–29, 1994. International Republican Institute. 1994. Retrieved 13 April 2023 – via Yumpu.
- ^ "Members of the National Assembly". Parliament of South Africa. 3 June 1998. Archived from the original on 28 June 1998. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
- ^ "General Notice: Notice 1319 of 1999 – Electoral Commission: Representatives Elected to the Various Legislatures" (PDF). Government Gazette of South Africa. Vol. 408, no. 20203. Pretoria, South Africa: Government of South Africa. 11 June 1999. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ "General Notice: Notice 717 of 2004 - Electoral Commission – List of Names of Representatives in the National Assembly and the Nine Provincial Legislatures in Respect of the Elections Held on 14 April 2004" (PDF). Government Gazette of South Africa. Vol. 466, no. 2677. Pretoria, South Africa: Government of South Africa. 20 April 2004. pp. 4–95. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ "Members of the National Assembly". Parliamentary Monitoring Group. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ "Grief and shock after killing of Bishop Tolo". Sowetan. 24 August 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ "Bishop Jack Tolo laid to rest at home village". Sowetan. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ "3 guilty of Tolo's murder". News24. 3 April 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2023.