President Cyril Ramaphosa has paid a deeply emotional tribute to civil rights leader, Reverend Dr. Jesse Louis Jackson Sr, describing him as a man whose voice carried hope across continents, and whose unwavering solidarity helped sustain South Africa’s struggle against apartheid.
The President was speaking at Rev. Jackson’s homegoing celebration (funeral) on Saturday, which was held in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States of America. Rev. Jackson passed away on 17 February 2026 at the age of 84.
President Ramaphosa said South Africa was not only joining the world in mourning the global figure, but was also “claiming him as one of their own”.
“The people of South Africa are with you today as you lay to rest a great man and celebrate a remarkable life that altered the moral direction of a nation and inspired the conscience of the world.
“We are here to join you as you say farewell to a man who carried the message of hope from the streets of Chicago to the streets of Johannesburg,” President Ramaphosa said.
He acknowledged that Rev. Jackson’s bond with South Africa was forged not by birthplace but by his commitment to justice and his decision to stand with oppressed people during the darkest years of apartheid.
President Ramaphosa said Rev. Jackson helped to transform the anti-apartheid struggle into a truly global movement. In November 1985, Rev. Jackson marched in London alongside then African National Congress (ANC) President Oliver Tambo and anti-apartheid campaigner Trevor Huddleston in one of the largest demonstrations ever held against apartheid.
More than 150 000 people took part, demanding sanctions against the South African government and the release of Nelson Mandela.
Rev. Jackson, President Ramaphosa said, also used his influence in diplomatic circles to lobby world leaders. He personally urged Pope John Paul II to visit South Africa to encourage change. He also pressed Mikhail Gorbachev to sever Soviet ties with Pretoria, and confronted British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher over her reluctance to impose sanctions.
A “brother in the struggle”
President Ramaphosa told mourners that belonging is not defined by geography, but by the causes a person chooses to champion.
“You may ask: how can a son of South Carolina belong to the people of Soweto?” he said.
“Belonging is not determined by the soil on which you were born. Belonging is determined by the soil on which you choose to join the fight against an evil racist and oppressive system.”
During the decades when apartheid silenced many South African voices, Jackson chose to speak out.
“When our cause was ignored and many would look away, he stood firm in solidarity with us. He looked at a people he had never met and said: their pain is my pain. Their chains are my chains. Their struggle for freedom is my struggle.”
For this reason, President Ramaphosa said, South Africans remember Jackson not as a distant ally but as “a brother in the struggle for justice and freedom.”
Standing with South Africa
President Ramaphosa recalled Rev. Jackson’s first visit to South Africa in 1979, shortly after the death of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko.
During that visit, Rev. Jackson drew huge crowds in Soweto and famously declared: “This land is changing hands.”
At a time when the administration of Ronald Reagan pursued a policy of “constructive engagement” with the apartheid government, Rev. Jackson advocated openly for strong sanctions and international pressure.
He placed South Africa at the centre of American political debate during his presidential campaign, urging voters to recognise apartheid as a moral issue.
Jackson also led protests in the United States and was arrested outside the South African Embassy in Washington in 1985 along with his sons, Jesse Jr. and Jonathan.
As police detained them, they sang “We Shall Overcome”, a song that had become a powerful anthem of both the American civil rights movement and South Africa’s struggle.
President Ramaphosa reminded the world that justice in the United States and justice in South Africa were connected struggles.
“His voice refused to be silenced when silence would have been easier. That voice preached a message of hope from the streets of Chicago to the dusty streets of Soweto, that justice was not a privilege for the few but a birthright for all.”
The President also noted the inspiration Jackson provided to political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela, who spent decades behind bars on Robben Island.
Inspired by African pride
President Ramaphosa drew a connection between Rev. Jackson’s activism and the vision expressed more than a century ago by Pixley ka Isaka Seme, one of the founders of the ANC.
While studying at Columbia University in 1906, Seme spoke about African pride and the coming liberation of the continent.
President Ramaphosa said that spirit of dignity and hope was embodied in Rev. Jackson’s life and work. “This is what Jesse Jackson meant to South Africa and Africa, hence we stand here today and say he also belongs to us.”
Witnessing freedom
When Mandela finally walked free in 1990 after 27 years in prison, Rev. Jackson was present in Cape Town to witness the historic moment.
President Ramaphosa said Jackson described the atmosphere as a “release of glee and joy”, as millions celebrated the birth of a new era.
Rev. Jackson also attended Mandela’s inauguration as South Africa’s first democratically elected President in 1994.
Even after apartheid ended, Jackson continued to visit South Africa, long after many other international supporters had turned their attention elsewhere.
“He kept coming back,” President Ramaphosa said, praising Rev. Jackson’s enduring commitment.
Inspiring generations
President Ramaphosa said Rev. Jackson’s life demonstrated that the fight for justice stretches across generations. He described it as a relay in which the torch of freedom passes from one courageous leader to another.
He said the dream of equality was first carried by Martin Luther King Jr., who inspired the world with his vision of justice. Rev. Jackson, President Ramaphosa said, carried that dream forward by keeping hope alive in the hearts of those fighting injustice.
President Ramaphosa said that torch now remains “in the hands of those who must continue the struggle for dignity and equality”.
Gratitude from South Africa
The President also addressed Rev. Jackson’s family, including his wife Jacqueline and their children, thanking them for sharing him with South Africa and the world.
“You gave us your husband. Your father. Your patriarch. You shared him across an ocean, across continents, across marches and prison gates and inauguration days.”
He said Rev. Jackson’s advocacy meant that when South Africans faced violence and repression during apartheid, someone in America was standing with them.
A memorable legacy
In recognition of his contribution to the struggle for freedom, South Africa awarded Rev. Jackson the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo in Silver in 2013.
President Ramaphosa said no honour or decoration could fully capture what Jackson had given the country.
“What he gave to us cannot be framed and hung on a wall. It lives in our Constitution. It lives in our freedom. It lives in the hearts of our people.”
The President called for Rev. Jackson’s legacy to continue to inspire South Africans to defend justice around the world.
Keeping hope alive
President Ramaphosa urged people to honour Rev. Jackson’s memory by living the values he championed: justice, equality, dignity and service to others.
“We honour him by showing up when others look away from injustice. We honour him by pledging solidarity and supporting the just struggle of others.”
On behalf of the nation’s 62 million citizens, the President expressed deep gratitude for Jackson’s lifelong commitment to South Africa’s freedom.
“Go well, Reverend. Go well, Mkhulu. The people of the rainbow nation that you helped to build salute you. Amandla. Power to the people.” – SAnews.gov.za
