Remembering Dr Essop Pahad: Stalwart had the ‘strength of Ali’

When the history of South Africa’s struggle heroes and heroines is recorded, the name of ANC and South African Communist Party veteran Dr Essop Pahad will feature prominently. Pahad, 84, died yesterday.

Speaking to The Citizen before the start of Pahad’s funeral service at Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg yesterday, fellow struggle veteran Ronnie Kasrils described Pahad as a “resilient hero with a physique of a boxer” and the “strength and tactics of Mohammed Ali” in politics.

The two first met in 1962 outside the Johannesburg City Hall during a protest against laws crafted by John Vorster, then minister of justice under prime minister Hendrik Verwoerd.

“It’s a sad day for South Africa, we will solely miss his wisdom,” Kasrils said.

“Essop was a great man who loved the ANC through and through, we are mourning this giant of our liberation.”

Pahad died in his sleep in the early hours of yesterday and was buried with Muslim rites hours later. His funeral was declared an official state funeral by Deputy President Paul Mashatile.

Ahmed Kathrada Foundation chief executive Neeshan Balton said Kathrada and Essop had fought against the Group Areas Act that dictated that Indians should move to Lenasia and away from Johannesburg’s inner city.

They refused and established the Congress School.

“Dr Pahad received most of his political education at the Congress School. The 1956 treason trial and the Rivonia Trial made a huge impact on him,” Balton said.

Kathrada was co-founder of the Transvaal Indian Congress, which was to shape Pahad’s politics after he joined it 1958. Exiled in 1962, Pahad was among the first ANC MPs after 1994, and became parliamentary counsellor to former president Thabo Mbeki, who later appointed him as his minister in the presidency from 1999 until 2008.

Among his achievements was to establish the Government Communication and Information System and the Media Development and Diversity Agency.

He resigned from Cabinet when Mbeki was ousted in 2008.