{"id":109418,"date":"2019-10-13T15:18:45","date_gmt":"2019-10-13T14:18:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buzzsouthafrica.com\/?p=109418"},"modified":"2020-06-27T20:37:28","modified_gmt":"2020-06-27T19:37:28","slug":"ahmed-kathrada-biography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buzzsouthafrica.com\/ahmed-kathrada-biography\/","title":{"rendered":"Interesting Details About Ahmed Kathrada’s Family Life, Political Career and Legacies"},"content":{"rendered":"
Alongside Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Denis Goldberg, and Govan Mbeki among other African National Congress (ANC) members, Ahmed Kathrada was one of the famous prisoners of Robben Island and Pollsmoor Prison who were locked up after being sentenced to life imprisonment at the now infamous Rivonia Trial.<\/p>\n
After gaining freedom in 1990, the former political prisoner and anti-apartheid activist served as a Member of Parliament. At his long-time friend\u2019s behest, he also served as an advisor to President Mandela after he declined the offer of Cabinet Minister. Kathrada has further spent a lot of time mentoring politically-minded youths in the country.<\/p>\n
On the 21st of August 1929 in the Western Transvaal country town of Schweizer-Reneke, South Africa, Ahmed Kathrada was welcomed into the world by his South African Indian immigrant parents from Surat, Gujarat. He was the fourth of their six children.<\/p>\n
As a result of the policies at the time in the area where he was raised, Kathrada was denied an opportunity to attend either European or African designated schools because of his Indian origins. With a determination to receive a proper education, the young man was left with no option but to pack up his bags and move to Johannesburg, 200 miles from his home, in order to go to school.<\/p>\n
This racist policy, among others that affected people of Indian origin and other minorities, was what propelled him to become politically active at the young age of 12.<\/p>\n
Influenced by the likes of IC Meers, JN Singh, Moulvi & Yusuf Cachalia, and Dr. Yusuf Dadoo \u2013 leaders of Transvaal Indian Congress, Ahmed Kathrada, who was simply known as Kathy, joined the Young Communist League of South Africa. He performed duties such as handing out leaflets and other volunteer work. He was also involved in the anti-war campaign of the Non-European United Front during World War II.<\/p>\n
By the time Ahmed Kathrada turned 17 years of age, he left school to work full-time for the Transvaal Passive Resistance Council. The council came about as a result of the Asiatic Land Tenure and Indian Representation Act (also known as the Ghetto act), which was seeking to limit the political representation of Indians, as well as limit the locations where they could trade, own land, and live.<\/p>\n
Kathy’s work with the council resulted in his first jail stint for civil disobedience. He was arrested and imprisoned alongside two thousand others in Durban jail because of their participation in the campaign. Following his release after spending a month behind bars, the young activist became very popular among his people and was thus elected as the Secretary-General of the Transvaal Indian Youth Congress (TIYC).<\/p>\n
Having made concrete strides towards fighting policies that were designed to undermine his people, Ahmed Kathrada decided to return to school as he enrolled at the University of Witwatersrand. He would also later spend some time in Europe working with different youth organizations.<\/p>\n