Peter Mokaba's grave

The name Peter Mokaba is synonymous with that of youth emancipation and development as he was an inspiration to the youth of South Africa. Peter Mokaba was born on 7 January 1959 in Polokwane. This is where he completed his primary and high school education. During the 1976 uprisings,

Mokaba became a leader of school boycotts, which led to his expulsion from school. He was detained under the Terrorism Act in 1977. However, he managed to complete matric on his own in 1978. In 1980, he enrolled at the University of the North. In 1982, he was again detained under the Terrorism Act and was convicted for a number of his underground activities as a member of MK. He served his sentence on Robben Island.

In 1984, his sentence was suspended and he went on to work for the UDF. In 1987, he became the first president of the South African Youth Congress. This later became the ANC Youth League after the unbanning of the ANC in 1990. In 1994, Mokaba became a Member of Parliament and served as the deputy minister in the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. He was also elected as a member of the National Executive Committee of the ANC in 1991, in 1994 and again in 1997. By the time he died he had been elected by the ANC to head their preparations for the 2004 election campaign.