Revered anti-apartheid activist, civic leader, diplomat and former mayor of Cape Town, Theresa Solomon, succumbed to her battle with illness at the age of 79 on Monday, 7 July 2025, reports Cape town Etc .
According to family spokesperson Neil Cole, she was surrounded by her family when she passed away peacefully on Monday evening.
Born in Cape Towns District Six in 1945, Solomon was well known and well loved in Mitchells Plain, where she lived and worked as a community activist in the 1970s, 80s and 90s before going on to become Cape Towns first black female mayor from 1996 to 1998 after serving as deputy mayor the previous year.
Solomon will be remembered for her courage, humility and love for the people of South Africa, said Cole.
She dedicated her life to the struggle for justice and equality. From organising communities on the Cape Flats to serving as Cape Towns first black female mayor and later as South Africas High Commissioner to Tanzania and Canada, her unwavering commitment to social justice uplifted countless lives.