Sad passing of a renown activist, internationalist and government official
6 December 2021
The human rights organisation #Africa4Palestine joins the numerous organisations around South Africa and across the world in sharing our condolences with the family of comrade Ebrahim Ebrahim who passed away earlier today. Our deepest sympathies to his wife, Shannon and his children.
We ares added by the passing of this renown activist, internationalist, government official and friend of Palestine.
Cde Ebie, as he was comradely known, was actively involved in the struggle against apartheid and imprisoned on Robben Island along Nelson Mandela, Ahmed Kathrada and other icons. From the early 1990s he served on the ANC’s National Executive Committee, and was one of the most senior members of the ANC International Relations Sub-Committee.
Other than his role as South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Comrade Ebie also served as a Member of Parliament as well as the Parliamentary Counsellor to the President of South Africa.
In particular, Africa4Palestine wants to acknowledge the incredible role that Comrade Ebie played leading up to and during the 2017 elective congress of the ANC to ensure the adoption of the ANC resolution for the immediate and unconditional downgrade of SA Embassy in Israel to a Liaison Office
In 2017, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation published a short biography wherein Cde Ebie is quoted as saying: “I have been involved in the struggle for liberation for over 36 years. I spend about half that period in prison. My life has been one struggle for peace and natural justice, for a common humanity and a struggle against the greatest evil of this century, the evil of racism. If I were to choose my life all over again I would follow the same path. I could never have remained indifferent to the poverty and suffering of our people.”
Comrade Ebie was a mensch and, indeed, a gentle revolutionary. He taught many of us younger activists the meaning of international solidarity.
Hamba Kahle Umkhonto
ISSUED BY TISETSO MAGAMA ON BEHALF OF AFRICA4PALESTINE
For comment:
Muhammed Desai, Director: +27 84 211 9988
Tisetso Magama, Spokesperson: +27 61 414 6348
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