Muslim Portraits: The Anti-Apartheid Struggle Goolam Vahed Compiled for SAMNET Madiba Publishers 2012 Copyright © SAMNET 2012 Published by Madiba Publishers University of KwaZulu Natal [Howard College] King George V Avenue, Durban, 4001 No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. First Edition, First Printing 2012 Printed and bound by: Impress Printers 150 Intersite Avenue, Umgeni Business Park, Durban, South Africa ISBN: 1-874945-25-X Graphic Design by: NT Design 76 Clark Road, Glenwood, Durban, 4001 Contents Foreword 9 Yusuf Dadoo 83 Faried Ahmed Adams 17 Ayesha Dawood 89 Feroza Adams 19 Amina Desai 92 Ameen Akhalwaya 21 Barney Desai 97 Yusuf Akhalwaya 23 AKM Docrat 100 Cassim Amra 24 Cassim Docrat 106 Abdul Kader Asmal 30 Jessie Duarte 108 Mohamed Asmal 34 Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim 109 Abu Baker Asvat 35 Gora Ebrahim 113 Zainab Asvat 40 Farid Esack 116 Saleem Badat 42 Suliman Esakjee 119 Omar Badsha 43 Karrim Essack 121 Cassim Bassa 47 Omar Essack 124 Ahmed Bhoola 49 Alie Fataar 126 Mphutlane Wa Bofelo 50 Cissie Gool 128 Amina Cachalia 51 Goolam Gool 131 Azhar Cachalia 54 Halima Gool 133 Firoz Cachalia 57 Jainub Gool 135 Moulvi Cachalia 58 Hoosen Haffejee 137 Yusuf Cachalia 60 Fatima Hajaig 140 Ameen Cajee 63 Imam Haron 142 Yunus Carrim 66 Enver Hassim 145 Achmat Cassiem 68 Kader Hassim 148 Fatima Chohan 71 Nina Hassim 152 Ghadija Christopher 72 Hassan Howa 155 Zuleika Christopher 75 Mohammed Abdulhai Ismail 158 Hoosen Coovadia 80 Aboobaker Ismail 159 Johnny Issel 162 Rahima Moosa 264 Shahieda Issel 164 Chota Motala 267 Adli Jacobs 167 Rabia ‘Choti’ Motala 275 Yusuf Jacobs 169 Shaikh Hassan Mowla 277 Zubeida Jaffer 171 SM Nathie 282 Mohamed Jajbhay 174 ‘Dullah’ Omar 285 Abdulhay Jassat 176 Rashied Omar 288 Essop Jassat 181 Yacoob Abba Omar 291 Mohseen Jeenah 185 Amina Pahad 292 Na’eem Jeenah 187 Aziz Pahad 294 Ahmed Kathrada 189 Essop Pahad 296 Cassim Kikia 195 Goolam Hoosen Pahad 299 AI Limbada 199 Naledi Pandor 300 Ebrahim Vally Mahomed 201 Ahmed Ebrahim 'Aggie' Patel 302 Ismail Mahomed 203 Ebrahim Patel 305 Hassen Mall 207 Ebrahim Patel 308 Omaruddin Don Mattera 211 AH Randeree 310 Juby Mayet 216 SA Randeree 312 SM Mayet 219 Ebrahim Rasool 314 AI Meer 222 Rafiq Rohan 317 Farouk Meer 225 AH Sader 320 Fatima Meer 235 RAM Salojee 321 IC Meer 242 Ebrahim “Cass” Saloojee 326 AS Minty 247 Khalil Saloojee 329 Sayed Iqbal Mohamed 249 Suleman ‘Babla’ Saloojee 331 Yunus Mohamed 252 Yusuf Saloojee 334 Mosie Moolla 255 Dawood Seedat 336 Hassen Moosa 260 Fatima Seedat 346 Vali Moosa 262 Hassim Seedat 348 Moe Shaikh 350 Ahmed Timol 365 Yunis Shaikh 354 M I 'Beaver' Timol 370 Mohammed Iqbal Sheik 356 Richard Turner 375 Imam Gassan Solomon 358 Ismail Vadi 378 Goolam Suleman 360 Errol Vawda 380 Enver Surtee 362 Yusuf Vawda 383 Mohammed Tikly 363 Zac Yacoob 385 Nelson Mandela visiting Fatima Meer at her Burnwood Road home, shortly after his release in 1990 Acknowledgements SAMNET is indebted to the following donors whose generosity has made this publication possible: 1. Albaraka Bank 2. Akoo family 3. A K Peer 4. Haroon Kalla 5. Iqraa Trust 6. Noor Mahomed Ismail 7. Rafik Mohamed 8. Ismail Tayob 9. Yusuf Ebrahim 10. M E Paruk We would also like to express our gratitude to Goolam Vahed, who lectures in the Department of History at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, for undertaking the task of compiling these biographies; Yusuf Patel for production; and Rafiq Rohan who assisted with editing. Postcard: Jawaharlal Nehru, Yusuf Dadoo and B.R. Ambedkar Abbreviations AAC All Africa Convention AAM Anti-Apartheid Movement ANC African National Congress ANCYL African National Congress Youth League APDUSA African People’s Democratic Union of South Africa APO African People’s Organisation ASC Anti-Segregationist Council AZAPO Azanian People’s Organisation AZASO Azanian Student’s Organisation BCM Black Consciousness Movement BPC Black People’s Convention CAD Coloured Affairs Department CODESA Congress of a Democratic South Africa COP Congress of the People COSATU Congress of South African Trade Unions CPSA Communist Party of South Africa FEDSAW Federation of South African Women FEDTRAW Federation of Transvaal Women LSG Liberal Studies Group MDM Mass Democratic Movement MK Umkhonto we Sizwe MP Member of Parliament MSA Muslim Students Association of South Africa MYM Muslim Youth Movement of South Africa NEC National Executive Committee NEUF Non-European Unity Front NEUM Non-European Unity Movement NGO Non-Governmental Organisation NIYC Natal Indian Youth Congress NIC Natal Indian Congress SABC South African Broadcasting Corporation SACOS South African Council of Sport SADTU South African Democratic Teacher’s Union SAHO South African History Organisation SAIC South African Indian Congress SANROC South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee SRC Student Representative Council SASO South African Students Organisation SOYA Society of Young Africa TAC Treatment Action Campaign TIC Transvaal Indian Congress TICYL Transvaal Indian Congress Youth League UCT University of Cape Town UDF United Democratic Front UDW University of Durban-Westville UWC University of Western Cape UNISA University of South Africa Wits University of Witwatersrand Yusuf Dadoo and Monty Naicker during their visit to India, 1947. These two doctors changed the course of Indian politics in South Africa. Introduction In compiling this book on Muslim anti-apartheid activists we are aware of potential pitfalls. One of them may be that we are reproducing divisions that we are committed to overcoming. We hope that the message that is inscribed in the lives of those we highlight here mitigates this possibility. At the same time, by focusing on Muslims, we hope to throw a challenge to those within the community who have shown a tendency to withdraw from public life. We hope that these biographies will remind younger Muslims that in the past many of those who mobilised against apartheid and other forms of oppression were comfortable with being both Muslim and South African, and that in the post-apartheid period too, while individuals embrace their religious identities they can and should participate as full citizens in the life of this country. We believe that unless we shake off this apathy, and produce critical activists who work to make common cause with civil society organisations engaged in addressing such problems as poverty, Aids, xenophobia, the dysfunctional health system, and homelessness, Muslims as a “community” may well become politically marginalised and the ethos of Islam around confronting oppression and exploitation will be lost to the broader South African body politic. Islam teaches Muslims not only to build a cohesive Muslim community, and to faithfully practice their rituals, but also to excel as public citizens and this is the message that we want to convey through this publication. As the late Imam Gassan Solomon, one time Amir of the Call of Islam, explained on joining the UDF, ‘Muslims should become part of the national struggle for liberation.... The responsibility of leading the struggle does not rest more heavily on anyone else than it does on Muslims’ (al-Qalam October 1985). 2010 marked the 150th year since indentured Indians first arrived in Natal. To commemorate this historic landmark newspapers and community organisations arranged various events to recount the community’s history. The anti-apartheid struggle featured prominently in these commemorations and we have been inundated with queries regarding Muslims who participated in the freedom struggle. We were surprised at how few people had heard of such stalwarts as Dawood Seedat, Kader Hassim, and others.Muslims have played an important role throughout the history of our country, not just in politics, but also in economics, 9 philanthropy, and education, and we hope to cover these aspects of the Muslim contribution to South African society in subsequent volumes. The contributions of a new generation of Muslim South Africans, such as politicians Enver Surtee, Naledi Pandor, Fathima Chohan, and Ismail Vadi; Constitutional Court judge Zac Yakoob; Salim Abdul Karrim and Hoosen “Jerry” Coovadia in the medical field; academics like Adam Habib, Saleem Badat, and Abdulkader Tayob; activists such as Naeem Jeenah; Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman, the Al Imdaad Foundation, and others in philanthropy; Ferial Haffejee and Ayesha Kajee in media; and sportsman Hashim Amla, amongst many, point to the exceptional contribution that some Muslims are making in post-apartheid South Africa, and the ways in which they are engaging in effective civic participation. But a large number of Muslims remain apathetic. We are aware of the difficulties that Muslim minorities face in many parts of the Western world. South Africa’s Muslims pride themselves on the fact that they are able to practice their religion in an environment that is relatively free of Islamophobia, and we hope that the stories in this book will inspire the younger generation to civic participation to reciprocate this. Defining ‘Muslim’ is complicated. Some of the activists mentioned in this book were members of the Communist Party or materialists.Yusuf Dadoo was a high ranking member of the Communist Party, yet he went for Hajj and also instructed Zainab Asvat to ensure that he had a ‘proper’ Muslim burial. And he passed away with his sisters sitting around his bedside reciting the Qur’an. Ghadija Christopher was married to Albert Christopher, a Christian, yet arranged with the local Imam to conduct her janazah and she was buried in the Browns Avenue Muslim cemetery. We have taken Muslim here to be an identity and not a reflection of the levels of piety of individual activists or the extent to which they observed certain rituals.