Struggle icon Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim, a stalwart of the South African liberation struggle and whose activism started at the age of 14, will posthumously receive the National Order of Luthuli in Gold during the national orders ceremony on April 28. Nelson Mandela described Ebie Ebrahim as one of the most outstanding pillars of the Struggle movement and a committed and loyal person.
Durban – ANC Struggle icon Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim will posthumously receive the National Order of Luthuli in Gold during the national orders ceremony on Friday, April 28.
The National Orders recognise the contributions made by individuals towards building a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa as envisaged in the Constitution.
Ebrahim, affectionately known as “Ebie”, passed away in December 2021 after a long illness.
He was an activist in the Defiance Campaign in the 1950s and represented his area at the Congress of the people which adopted the Freedom Charter in 1955. Ebrahim was a member of the Natal Regional High Command of Umkhonto we Sizwe in 1961, and led units in the sabotage campaign of the early 1960s.
He was sentenced to 15 years on Robben Island in 1963 during the Pietermaritzburg Sabotage trial, otherwise known as the “little Rivonia trial”.
He was the former deputy minister for international relations.
Ebrahim’s wife, Shannon Ebrahim, said: “Ebie was a gentle giant, even to his family. He inspired us with his undiluted moral values, his absolute commitment to transform South Africa for the better, and his willingness to engage warring factions in conflicts around the world as a peacemaker.
“He was the essence of humility and never expected recognition for any of the hardships he endured throughout his life in the cause for freedom.”
She said the family’s one regret is “that this wonderful recognition of his exceptional contribution to the struggle for democracy, justice, peace and conflict resolution wasn’t given to him during his lifetime”.
“If Ebie was here he would have dedicated this National Order of Luthuli in Gold to all his comrades who paid so dearly for the liberation of this country.”
She said his hope was that South Africans would read his memoir “Beyond Fear” – completed just before his passing in 2021 – to better understand what revolutionaries of his generation went through to bring about a new South Africa, and how the fight for a more equal society must continue.
The Presidency in a statement said Ebrahim was being recognised for his lifelong commitment to the liberation of all South Africans.
“He lived by the courage of his conviction and became a formidable opponent to the repressive apartheid government.”
Fellow Struggle activist Sunny Singh, during the Durban launch of Ebrahim’s book “Beyond Fear – Reflections of a Freedom Fighter”, said the system of apartheid had turned Ebrahim into a freedom fighter
Singh served time with Ebrahim on Robben Island and was recruited by Ebrahim into Umkhonto WeSizwe, the armed wing of the ANC. He said the Sharpeville massacre on March 21, 1960, was a turning point in the history of the country.
“Up until that point we were for Satyagraha or peaceful resistance but the massacre changed that. Ebie recruited me and others into the armed struggle and our cell carried out a spate of sabotage actions.
“He was arrested, he was tortured but he had a stable mind and was able to provide analysis that we saw when he ran the political school at Robben Island.”
“Like all of us, he was inspired by the Algerian and Cuban revolutions. When we were in the armed struggle they were almost at the point of victory and this inspired us, knowing that someday we would defeat the apartheid regime,” Singh said.
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