Anti-apartheid struggle veteran Ahmed Kathrada would receive many interview requests from journalists around the world. There were so many during his lifetime that it would be difficult to sometimes remember the journalists making the requests by name. But, we remembered Yadhana. We first came into contact with her in June 2014 when she requested to…
My dearest Uncle Isu, There isn’t a time that I cannot remember knowing you. You were a constant in my family’s life; as regular as the call we would receive from you every Eid at exactly 7am wishing us well. It was you who helped my mother look after my eldest sibling,…
Your consciousness always seemed to have been moulded from a set of values so well-grounded and pristine that you’ve often left us wondering whether we could actually emulate you. Yet at the same time, you displayed a simplicity woven with humbleness and humility, making it impossible to consider you or your ideals aloof.
Dear Comrade President I sincerely hope that I do not appear to be arrogant in taking the liberty to address this letter directly to you on behalf of the Chiba family – several of whose members made a modest contribution to the demise of the tyranny of apartheid and the establishment of a just, democratic,…
Greetings, my name is Neeshan Balton. I serve as the executive director of the AKF. On request from the organisers of the conference the AKF agreed to communicate the holding of this conference to the organisations on its and FutureSA data base. While most were happy were to receive the invite a few questioned why…
On the eve of what would have been Ahmed Kathrada’s 88th birthday, Derek Hanekom reflects on Kathrada’s remarkable ability to ‘draw people in’… In Ahmed Kathrada’s Memoirs, Edwin Markham is quoted: “He drew a circle to shut me out – heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But Love and I had the wit to win: we…
The bars were a still purple One that trickled down your spine Twisted it while you stood The floor, a striking grey No amount of light could make it shine The walls an uninspiring yet unforgettable brown Qhawe What was meant to diminish your spirit Bring you down Make you bend to the…
On the eve of what would have been Ahmed Kathrada’s 88th birthday, Derek Hanekom reflects on Kathrada’s remarkable ability to ‘draw people in’… In Ahmed Kathrada’s Memoirs, Edwin Markham is quoted: “He drew a circle to shut me out – heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But Love and I had the wit to win: we…
Mandla Nkomfe At the first anniversary of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in 1984, Albertina Sisulu said that “the patience of the people has been exhausted now”. Sisulu, a veteran leader, also stated that the UDF had given her hope about several things, one of which was the possibility of a “just South Africa…
I was a young church marriage officer in 1985 when the ‘Immorality and Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Amendment Act’ was repealed.