Essa Moosa, the lawyer of legendary leader Nelson Mandela who paved the way for a democratic system in South Africa after the negotiations he made with the state in the 1990s, lost his life.

Essa Moosa was the lawyer of African National Congress (ANC) leader Nelson Mandela, who had been given a life sentence and kept under isolation at a prison in Robben Island for 27 years.

Moosa had participated in many Kurdish events in Turkey, Kurdistan and Europe, and shown solidarity with the Kurdish Freedom Movement.
Essa Moosa was also a member of the International Freedom For Öcalan Initiative established for the freedom of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan's freedom.

Moosa had participated in the International Peace Delegation with 11 members from renown figures that went to Turkey last year in order to meet with Öcalan.

WHO IS ESSA MOOSA?

Judge Essa Moosa was born on 8 February 1936 in District Six, Cape Town. He qualified as an Attorney-at Law and was admitted to practice by the High Court of the Supreme Court, Cape Town on 1 June 1962. He practised as an Attorney in Cape Town until December 1997 and in 1998 was appointed as a judge of the High Court of the Supreme Court in Cape Town, officially retiring on 8 February 2011. He has six siblings, is married and continues to live in Cape Town.