South Africa's anti-apartheid icon Ahmed Kathrada who was tried and jailed alongside Nelson Mandela passed away on March 28. Kathrada also served as the parliamentary counsellor to President Mandela
The India connect
Born on August 21, 1929, Kathrada was a second generation South African of Indian descent, according to AFP. In his youth, he joined apartheid resistance movements, including the South African Indian Congress, which followed Mahatma Gandhi's ideals
In 1964,
he was tried in the infamous Rivonia trial. Kathrada spent 26 years and three months in prison, 18 of which were on Robben island, AFP added
‘Uncle Kathy’
Often described as Mandela’s “trusted lieutenant”, he was known as “Kathy” or “Uncle Kathy” to those close to him. "Kathy was a slender fellow unused to hard physical labour," Mandela wrote in his book, Long Walk to Freedom
Fierce critic of Zuma
In recent years, Kathrada was a
fierce critic of the ANC government
under President Jacob Zuma, himself a fellow Robben Island inmate
These were people of the highest integrity and moral fibre who, through their humility and humanity, inspired our collective self-worth—and the world's confidence in us. Ahmed Kathrada was one of those leaders ... he once wrote to the president to argue that he did not deem himself important enough to be awarded a high honour