- Raymond Mhlaba
Raymond Mhlaba (
February 12 ,1920 -February 20 ,2005 ) was an anti-apartheid activist and leader of theAfrican National Congress (ANC). Mhlaba spent 25 years of his life in prison. Well known for being sentenced, along withNelson Mandela , in theRivonia Trial , he was an active member of the ANC and theSouth African Communist Party (SACP) all his adult life. His kindly manner brought him the nickname "Oom Ray".Early life
He was born in Mazoka village in the Fort Beaufort district and was educated at Healdtown secondary school. He started working at a laundry in
Port Elizabeth after leaving school. There he was introduced to trade unionism through the Non European Laundry Workers Union. In 1943 he joined theSouth African Communist Party , and in 1944 became a member of theAfrican National Congress . He met and married his first wife, Joyce Meke, who was also from the Fort Beaufort area. In their 17 years together, before her death in a car accident in 1960, they had three children.He was one of the ANC leaders arrested during the transport boycott of 1952 when he led a group of volunteers into the "Europeans Only" entrance of the New Brighton police station in
Port Elizabeth .He was the district secretary of the Communist Party from 1946 until it was banned in 1950. He was chairman of the Port Elizabeth branch of the ANC from 1947 to 1953, and was then elected to the Cape Executive committee.
After the ANC was banned he joined other exiles in obtaining military training in
China . Returning to South Africa in 1962, he commandedUmkhonto we Sizwe until 1963, when he was arrested along with other key members at a farm in Rivonia.Rivonia Trial
He was sentenced to life imprisonment in the
Rivonia Trial , and served time onRobben Island . In 1982 he was transferred toPollsmoor Prison . By special permission he married his common-law wife Dedika Heliso in 1986, with whom he had three children.Nelson Mandela was a witness at the ceremony, conducted in the prison commandant's office. Afterwards Mhlaba was legally permitted to touch his wife for the first time in 22 years.
Release from prison
After his release from prison in October 1989, he was elected to the ANC national executive and the South African Communist Party central committee. He became national chairperson of the SACP in 1995.
In January 1994 he was chosen as the ANC's premier-designate for a unified
Eastern Cape . He helped to establish the house of traditional leaders. He then became the High Commissioner toUganda andRwanda , until he retired in 2001.In April 2001 he released a book of his memoirs, narrated by him and researched and compiled by
Thembeka Mafumadi .He was chairperson of a black economic empowerment consortium involved in the Coega port project, but suffered a stroke on
July 19 ,2003 , recovering quickly.He is seen as a stalwart member of both the ANC and the SACP. He was recognised with the
Isitwalandwe Medal in 1992 for his role in the liberation struggle, and theMoses Kotane Award in 2002 for his contribution to the SACP.Death
In 2004 Mhlaba was diagnosed with advanced liver cancer, and in December doctors discharged him from a private clinic saying there was nothing they could do for him. On
February 20 ,2005 he died in hospital. Mhlaba is survived by his wife, three sons and five daughters.External links
* [http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__national/&articleid=198291# Obituary]
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