BLOEMFONTEIN - COPE president Mosiuoa Lekota died on Wednesday morning in Johannesburg, aged 77.
He is the former Premier of the Free State and a former Defence Minister.
He was also the ANC's national chair, a party he ditched in 2008 to form the Congress of the People.
Both COPE and ANC leaders in Lekota’s home province praised his contribution to the struggle for liberation.
Interim COPE president Teboho Loate said Lekota’s comrades have vowed to preserve his legacy.
“That’s the first objective that we have to maintain and promote his legacy. It would be a sad day for us if at this time COPE would die after he has left. There are a lot of challenges but my view is that what we owe is to share Ntate Lekota’s views and feelings with South Africans,” said Loate.
Free State Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae said the province will honour one of its brave sons.
“(He was) very instrumental and he was a hard worker. What I would like to remember (about) Ntate Lekota is the manner in which he ran this province. You couldn't even detect that he was from a particular party the way he ran the government here.”
The family is yet to finalise and announce a funeral date.
But Lekota will be buried in Bloemfontein.