The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation has announced that ANC veteran Ahmed Kathrada (87) passed away this morning, at the Donald Gordon Hospital in Johannesburg.

According to the foundation, Kathrada passed away peacefully after a short period of illness, following surgery to the brain.

Neeshan Balton, executive director of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, confirmed that the anti-apartheid struggle veteran ‘breathed his last today’.

“This is great loss to the ANC, the broader liberation movement and South Africa as a whole. Internationally, he was staunch in his support for the Palestinian struggle. ‘Kathy’ was an inspiration to millions in different parts of the world,” said Balton.

Kathrada had an illustrious political career having served between 1994 and 1999 as the parliamentary counsellor to late President Nelson Mandela.

He was born on 21 August 1929 in rural Schweizer-Reneke and was introduced to politics as a young boy when he joined a non-racial youth club run by the Young Communist League.

It was the Kathrada Foundation that inspired the No to Racism Campaign featured in the Courier recently:

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