Born: July 1, 1937
Passed on: December 6, 2021
by Nkosi ZMD Mandela, MP
A bright burning candle of our revolution has flickered and fainted, but its light will forever glow on in our hearts. Described at once as gentle and courageous; quiet yet brave; and wise yet humble; Cde Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim represented the quintessential best of what our movement stands for and the personification of the character South Africa needs as a nation in these difficult times.
His life was the living embodiment of the values that shaped the ANC over its 107 year history. Those of us who grew up in the ranks of struggle are familiar with the theory of the new man, but in Cde Ebie, we could all witness its living manifestation. He truly was a light unto others. His example is much needed today to build a new society that is more caring and whose heart burns at the suffering and poverty that engulfs us.
His passion to serve was ignited at a young age, born of his triumph over personal adversity. He joined the struggle at the tender age of 14 years as a young and inexperienced youth radiating passion, enthusiasm and a deep-seated desire to serve.
Alexander Pope in his 1771 ‘Essay on Criticism’ wrote: ‘Fools rush in where angels fear to tread’ but Cde Ebie was no fool. He was the antithesis of foolishness, ignorance and arrogance. Even at a young age, he was not just a follower, he knew what needed to be done and he could articulate the policy rationale for whatever task he undertook.
He was fearless to the core and this quality of his was tested throughout his life. He took on tasks and missions knowing the perils and the consequences of the brutal torture, interrogation and punishment that would be inflicted on him by the Apartheid regime if he was caught; yet it did not deter or detract him in the least.
He started out doing the most menial chores, spending his free time selling copies of the weekly New Age at Durban bus ranks after school and at rallies and meeting places. The young Cde Ebie was no ordinary newspaper vendor. He was disseminating valuable information about the liberation struggle and developing awareness and consciousness amongst his community and the masses. What an example to young people, who have a plethora of social media tools at their disposal, yet many lack the awareness and consciousness to respond to the realities that surround them.
He was still a young man when he participated in the Defiance Campaign in 1952 and the Congress of the People in 1956 that led to the launch of the Freedom Charter at Kliptown. Again, he participated in disguise knowing full well the perils of being exposed and caught.
We must take a leaf from his shining life and the energy he put into building structures locally and abroad to advance the struggle. He understood that without organisation and clear strategy and tactics, our vision of shaking off our shackles were but elusive dreams.
It is ironic that sometimes when the lights go out, our vision sharpens. Cde Ebie joined Umkhonto We Sizwe MKs Natal High Command and commanded an MK Unit that carried out many acts of sabotage, including taking out most of Durban’s electricity, sending a powerful message to the Apartheid State that resistance to Apartheid was gathering momentum. A timely lesson as the lights go out again.
Cde Ebrahim was accused number one in the Pietermaritzburg Sabotage Trial aka “the little Rivonia Trial” in which he was sentenced to 15 years on Robben Island. True to his shining leadership caliber, he turned adversity into university, conducting political education classes for fellow prisoners and along with Nelson Mandela and Ahmed Kathrada, registered for a university degree. He eventually completed two degrees on the Island and our young people should draw inspiration from him as his impediments couldn’t deter him from his commitment to life-long learning.
After completion of his jail term, he served a second sentence after being abducted from Swaziland and tortured at John Voster Square. Months of torture and isolation couldn’t break his spirit and Ebrahim would rather die than betray a single comrade, leading his torturers to believe ‘that he was not human.’
Perhaps one of the least known accolades, was the task given to him by Tatomkhulu Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and uTamkhulu Walter Sisulu to convene the Patriot Front made up of 93 political, religious and community organisations to develop a consensus on negotiations and the path forward towards a new democratic state.
Comrade Ebrahim was a formidable leader and served on the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC), the National Working Committee (NWC), Member of Parliament and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Portfolio Committee and eventually as Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation.
He devoted himself pre and post democracy to advancing the agenda of International Solidarity and was a dyed in the wool internationalist. In him, the struggle for Palestine has lost a powerful voice, but it is stronger for his intervention and efforts to build unity and to develop common positions on key issues.
His work around the world on conflict resolution was seminal and a lasting tribute to his extraordinary abilities and visionary character. He will be remembered for his work in peace efforts in Kosovo, Colombia, Bolivia, Nepal, the DRC, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, the Central African Republic, Western Sahara, Palestine and Kashmir.
Perhaps the greatest tribute we can pay Comrade Ebie, is to heed his words to the court on his second sentencing of 20 years on Robben Island: “My life has been one of struggle for peace and natural justice 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.”
How can we remain indifferent to the poverty that engulfs us? How can we remain oblivious to the suffering of our people? To do so is to deny Comrade Ebie’s lifelong sacrifice; to do so is to deny the light of freedom and hope that he and countless others devoted their lives to.
Cde Ebie was a mentor to many an activist. Through his wisdom and insight, he lit the passion for understanding the condition of our people, the nature of our struggle, the motive forces for change and what must be done. He did so not as an armchair academic, but out of the burning pain in his heart for the suffering that the most vulnerable in our society have to endure.
If it is true as President Mandela said that there is no better measure of the soul of a society than how it treats its most vulnerable citizens, then Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim represents the finest in us; a heart burning with indignation at the suffering of our poor, the finest intellect grappling for solutions to the challenges we encounter, a powerful voice sparing no chagrin for the lazy, indifferent and corrupt, but most of all, a soul lit with hope that there is enough good left in us to illuminate our path on the journey to a better life for all.
Barely a day after the 8th anniversary of the passing of my grandfather, we are orphaned again by his loss and the tears we shed are for the millions of our people, who have lost a champion who truly cared for them and placed his own life at risk so many times to advance their struggle. He will be sorely missed.
I light a candle for the gentle Brave
to honour his memory and to keep the light of hope burning in us.
I light a candle for the courageous Brave
to eclipse the shadow of indifference and shine light on the poverty that still engulfs us
I light a candle for the revolutionary Brave whose life was forged in the crucible of struggle and reminded us that freedom is its own reward.
I light a candle for the gentle Brave
so we may never turn a blind eye to the hunger in the eyes of our children and the tears of hardship streaking down the cheeks of our suffering mothers.
I light a candle for the wise Braveso that the wisdom of our elders may continue to nourish and guide us to a future filled with hope and a new dawn.
These candles I light for my hero Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim, son of the African soil and with each rising sun, we shall remember you, celebrate you and be inspired again!
– Nkosi Zwelivelile (MP)
Royal House of Mandela
Mvezo Komkhulu
Eastern Cape Province
South Africa
