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Yusuf Dadoo

Yusuf Mohamed Dadoo OMSG (5 September 1909 – 19 September 1983) was a South African Communist and an anti-apartheid activist. During his life, he was chair of both the South African Indian Congress and the South African Communist Party, as well as being a major proponent of co-operation between those organisations and the African National Congress. He was a leader of the Defiance Campaign and a defendant at the Treason Trial in 1956. His last days were spent in exile in London, where he is buried at Highgate Cemetery; a few metres away from the Tomb of Karl Marx.

Yusuf Dadoo
Born(1909-09-05)5 September 1909
Krugersdorp, West Rand, South Africa
Died19 September 1983(1983-09-19) (aged 74)
Resting placeHighgate cemetery, London, England
Alma materAligarh Muslim University
Edinburgh University
Known forAnti-apartheid movement
Political partySouth African Indian Congress
South African Communist Party

Early life edit

Yusuf was born on 5 September 1909 in Krugersdorp, in the West Rand, near Johannesburg. His parents, Mohammed and Fatima Dadoo, were Gujarati Muslim immigrants from Surat in Western India.[1][2] As a young child, he had the formative experience of being scolded by his mother for climbing a tree in his neighbourhood park, which was reserved for White people only.[3][4] Aged ten, the Krugersdorp Municipality attempted to evict his father from his shop on racial grounds, but he was successfully defended in court by Mohandas Gandhi. At high school, Yusuf attended meetings by former stalwarts of Gandhi, and along with Ismail Cachalia and other schoolmates, raised funds and awareness for the All India National Congress.[2][4] When he was fifteen, he presided over a protest organised and led by visiting Indian poet Sarojini Naidu against the proposed Class Areas Bill.[4] Later that year, he was sent to Aligarh College in India to complete his schooling, as the Johannesburg Indian Government School did not offer secondary education up to matriculation level.[4]

University in London and Edinburgh edit

At the age of eighteen, having completed secondary education, Yusuf returned to Krugersdorp; where his father insisted that he help with running his business, despite Yusuf's desire to study law.[4] After two years of clashes, including Yusuf organising a strike by his father's African employees, and running away from home, Mohammed agreed to send Yusuf to London to study medicine.[2] In London, Yusuf continued to be politically active, and was arrested for participating in a protest against the Simon Commission.[4] Hearing of his arrest, his parents had him transfer to Edinburgh University, where he completed his higher education.[4] In Edinburgh, Yusuf met many fellow students from across the British Empire, giving him a broader view of colonialism.[2][4] Inspired by the rise of the Labour Party at the 1929 UK general election, he began to read Marxist literature,[2] joined the Independent Labour Party,[4] and delivered Communist speeches at the Edinburgh speakers' corner.[3][4] He also befriended fellow student and Indian South African Monty Naicker. In 1936, Dadoo was awarded his medical degree, LRCPS, and returned to South Africa resolved to revitalise the struggle against racial discrimination there.[4]

Return to South Africa and revitalisation of the struggle edit

Shortly after his return home, Yusuf bought a house and set up a medical practice in Doornfontein, Johannesburg.[4] He soon became involved with the Transvaal Indian Congress (TIC), an organisation that had been involved with the earlier Gandhian protests, but found it to be dominated by the interests of wealthier Indians over the working-class,[4] and by moderates reluctant to engage in passive resistance against the government.[5] In 1938, Yusuf became a founding member and the secretary of the Non-European United Front (NEUF).[2] In 1939, along with both younger members and veterans of Gandhi's campaigns, he founded a nationalist bloc within the TIC, with the goal of commencing a passive resistance campaign against the recently passed Asiatic Land Tenure Act.[5] This view rapidly gained in popularity, and despite the misgivings of its leadership, the TIC set the date of 1 August 1939 for the commencement of passive resistance.[5] At the time, neither the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) nor the South African Indian Congress (SAIC) officially endorsed the campaign, despite popular support among Indians.[5] The campaign was postponed, however, at the personal request of Gandhi,[5] leaving Yusuf to join the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), and focus on anti-war activism with the outbreak of World War II.[2]

In 1941, the German invasion of the Soviet Union prompted the CPSA to drop its opposition to participation in the war, and change to a position of support for what it saw as a "people's war".[2] Inspired by the exploits of the Red Army in the defence of the Soviet Union, non-European protest movements in South Africa became more militant.[2] By the end of the war, the African National Congress was dominated by leaders such as Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela, while the TIC and NIC were dominated by Yusuf Dadoo and Monty Naicker, respectively.[2] In 1946, Yusuf and Monty led the Indian Passive Resistance Campaign against the Asiatic Land Tenure and Indian Representation Bill, which continued until 1948 but did not succeed in having any of the legislation it opposed repealed.[4] In 1947, the two, along with Alfred Bitini Xuma signed the "three doctors pact" of cooperation between the ANC, TIC and NIC, calling for the right to vote, freedom of movement, education and equal opportunity for all non-European South Africans.[6]

Apartheid and resistance edit

In 1908, the National Party (NP) was elected at the all-White 1948 general election. The NP immediately began implementing a formal policy of apartheid. In 1949, they also introduced the Suppression of Communism Bill to ban the South African Communist Party, causing the CPSA to pre-emptively disband and go underground.[2] In 1950, Yusuf was elected president of the SAIC, which promptly joined with the ANC in organising a defiance campaign against unjust laws.[2] Yusuf was the deputy chair of the planning council, headed by Walter Sisulu, and the two were mainly responsible for the report around which the campaign was organised.[2]

By 1952, the government responded to the Defiance Campaign by introducing more oppressive legislation. Dadoo was banned from attending all gatherings and ordered to resign from the SAIC and the Defiance Campaign planning committee.[4] In 1953, Dadoo and others secretly reconstituted the CPSA as the South African Communist Party (SACP), with Yusuf serving as chairman of the central committee.[4] That same year, Yusuf was further banned from participating in fifteen protest organisations.[4] Under these bans, he was unable to openly participate on the Congress Alliance and the writing of the Freedom Charter, although he continued to be consulted in secret, his advice being greatly respected.[2] In 1957, he was explicitly banned from speaking to more than one person at a time.[4]

Exile and party chairmanship edit

In 1960, the Sharpeville Massacre prompted the government to declare a state of national emergency and issue warrants for the arrest of most known leaders of protest organisations. Dadoo evaded arrest and operated underground for several months, until the SACP, in consultation with the SAIC, decided to smuggle him out of the country to act as an international spokesperson for the struggle. Dadoo strongly disagreed with the idea, but was overruled, and finally agreed to go into exile in London.

In 1972, the then-chairman of the SACP, J. B. Marks, died, and Dadoo was unanimously elected in his place.[2] He continued in this role, as chairman in exile, until his death.

Death edit

 
Grave of Yusuf Dadoo
 
Dadoo's grave is situated between that of Saad Saadi Ali (left) and his wife (right)

Dadoo died of prostate cancer on 19 September 1983.[4] Prior to his death, he attempted to arrange with Joe Slovo to have his body smuggled to South Africa for burial as an act of defiance, but this plan failed.[4] Instead, he was given a Muslim burial (at his behest) and interred at Highgate Cemetery alongside fellow Iraqi Communist Muslim activist Saad Saadi Ali, and a few metres away from the grave of Karl Marx.[2][4] His dying words were "You must never give up, You must fight to the end."[4]

 
Grave of Karl Marx. Yusuf Dadoo's grave is about five metres away to the left.

Legacy edit

Condolences were sent by communist and socialist leaders worldwide, as well as from other anti-apartheid activist leaders. In South Africa, however, a meeting and two pamphlets paying him tribute were immediately banned.[4]

After the 1994 general election and the downfall of Apartheid, Dr Dadoo came to be considered a national hero. In Krugersdorp, a primary school and a hospital were named after him.

Centenary celebrations for Dr Dadoo were held in 2009 at the University of Johannesburg.[7] In Nelson Mandela's message to the celebrations, he called Dadoo "one of the giants of our country's struggle for freedom", and "[one of] the founders of a democratic South Africa".[8]

References edit

  1. ^ . www.durban.gov.za. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Pahad, Essop (1979). . The African Communist (78). South African Communist Party. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  3. ^ a b Van Wyk, Chris (2006). Yusuf Dadoo. Awareness Publishing. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-77008-156-7.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Shauna Mottiar (2000). Yusuf Dadoo: Bafa Begiya (Masters in Political Studies thesis). University of Witwatersrand.
  5. ^ a b c d e Pahad, Essop (1972). The Development of Indian Political Movements in South Africa, 1924–1946 (D.Phil. thesis). University of Sussex.
  6. ^ Xuma, Alfred; Naicker, Monty; Dadoo, Yusuf (1947), Joint Declaration of Cooperation, retrieved 20 June 2011
  7. ^ "Blade Nzimande honours Yusuf Dadoo" (Press release). University of Johannesburg. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
  8. ^ Mandela, Nelson (5 September 2009). Message to the Dadoo Centenary Celebrations (Speech). Yusuf Dadoo Centenary Celebrations. University of Johannesburg. Retrieved 22 June 2011.

External links edit

  • Yusuf Dadoo page at South African History Online
  • [dead link]Photo of Dadoo and Mao Zedong
  • [dead link]Photo of Dadoo and Gandhi
  • Photo of Dadoo with Nelson Mandela and James Moroka
  • The Life Story of Yusuf Dadoo, national chairman of the South African Communist Party and a tireless fighter for national and social liberation at the SACP.

yusuf, dadoo, yusuf, mohamed, dadoo, omsg, september, 1909, september, 1983, south, african, communist, anti, apartheid, activist, during, life, chair, both, south, african, indian, congress, south, african, communist, party, well, being, major, proponent, ope. Yusuf Mohamed Dadoo OMSG 5 September 1909 19 September 1983 was a South African Communist and an anti apartheid activist During his life he was chair of both the South African Indian Congress and the South African Communist Party as well as being a major proponent of co operation between those organisations and the African National Congress He was a leader of the Defiance Campaign and a defendant at the Treason Trial in 1956 His last days were spent in exile in London where he is buried at Highgate Cemetery a few metres away from the Tomb of Karl Marx Yusuf DadooBorn 1909 09 05 5 September 1909Krugersdorp West Rand South AfricaDied19 September 1983 1983 09 19 aged 74 London EnglandResting placeHighgate cemetery London EnglandAlma materAligarh Muslim University Edinburgh UniversityKnown forAnti apartheid movementPolitical partySouth African Indian Congress South African Communist Party Contents 1 Early life 2 University in London and Edinburgh 3 Return to South Africa and revitalisation of the struggle 4 Apartheid and resistance 5 Exile and party chairmanship 6 Death 7 Legacy 8 References 9 External linksEarly life editYusuf was born on 5 September 1909 in Krugersdorp in the West Rand near Johannesburg His parents Mohammed and Fatima Dadoo were Gujarati Muslim immigrants from Surat in Western India 1 2 As a young child he had the formative experience of being scolded by his mother for climbing a tree in his neighbourhood park which was reserved for White people only 3 4 Aged ten the Krugersdorp Municipality attempted to evict his father from his shop on racial grounds but he was successfully defended in court by Mohandas Gandhi At high school Yusuf attended meetings by former stalwarts of Gandhi and along with Ismail Cachalia and other schoolmates raised funds and awareness for the All India National Congress 2 4 When he was fifteen he presided over a protest organised and led by visiting Indian poet Sarojini Naidu against the proposed Class Areas Bill 4 Later that year he was sent to Aligarh College in India to complete his schooling as the Johannesburg Indian Government School did not offer secondary education up to matriculation level 4 University in London and Edinburgh editAt the age of eighteen having completed secondary education Yusuf returned to Krugersdorp where his father insisted that he help with running his business despite Yusuf s desire to study law 4 After two years of clashes including Yusuf organising a strike by his father s African employees and running away from home Mohammed agreed to send Yusuf to London to study medicine 2 In London Yusuf continued to be politically active and was arrested for participating in a protest against the Simon Commission 4 Hearing of his arrest his parents had him transfer to Edinburgh University where he completed his higher education 4 In Edinburgh Yusuf met many fellow students from across the British Empire giving him a broader view of colonialism 2 4 Inspired by the rise of the Labour Party at the 1929 UK general election he began to read Marxist literature 2 joined the Independent Labour Party 4 and delivered Communist speeches at the Edinburgh speakers corner 3 4 He also befriended fellow student and Indian South African Monty Naicker In 1936 Dadoo was awarded his medical degree LRCPS and returned to South Africa resolved to revitalise the struggle against racial discrimination there 4 Return to South Africa and revitalisation of the struggle editShortly after his return home Yusuf bought a house and set up a medical practice in Doornfontein Johannesburg 4 He soon became involved with the Transvaal Indian Congress TIC an organisation that had been involved with the earlier Gandhian protests but found it to be dominated by the interests of wealthier Indians over the working class 4 and by moderates reluctant to engage in passive resistance against the government 5 In 1938 Yusuf became a founding member and the secretary of the Non European United Front NEUF 2 In 1939 along with both younger members and veterans of Gandhi s campaigns he founded a nationalist bloc within the TIC with the goal of commencing a passive resistance campaign against the recently passed Asiatic Land Tenure Act 5 This view rapidly gained in popularity and despite the misgivings of its leadership the TIC set the date of 1 August 1939 for the commencement of passive resistance 5 At the time neither the Natal Indian Congress NIC nor the South African Indian Congress SAIC officially endorsed the campaign despite popular support among Indians 5 The campaign was postponed however at the personal request of Gandhi 5 leaving Yusuf to join the Communist Party of South Africa CPSA and focus on anti war activism with the outbreak of World War II 2 In 1941 the German invasion of the Soviet Union prompted the CPSA to drop its opposition to participation in the war and change to a position of support for what it saw as a people s war 2 Inspired by the exploits of the Red Army in the defence of the Soviet Union non European protest movements in South Africa became more militant 2 By the end of the war the African National Congress was dominated by leaders such as Walter Sisulu Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela while the TIC and NIC were dominated by Yusuf Dadoo and Monty Naicker respectively 2 In 1946 Yusuf and Monty led the Indian Passive Resistance Campaign against the Asiatic Land Tenure and Indian Representation Bill which continued until 1948 but did not succeed in having any of the legislation it opposed repealed 4 In 1947 the two along with Alfred Bitini Xuma signed the three doctors pact of cooperation between the ANC TIC and NIC calling for the right to vote freedom of movement education and equal opportunity for all non European South Africans 6 Apartheid and resistance editIn 1908 the National Party NP was elected at the all White 1948 general election The NP immediately began implementing a formal policy of apartheid In 1949 they also introduced the Suppression of Communism Bill to ban the South African Communist Party causing the CPSA to pre emptively disband and go underground 2 In 1950 Yusuf was elected president of the SAIC which promptly joined with the ANC in organising a defiance campaign against unjust laws 2 Yusuf was the deputy chair of the planning council headed by Walter Sisulu and the two were mainly responsible for the report around which the campaign was organised 2 By 1952 the government responded to the Defiance Campaign by introducing more oppressive legislation Dadoo was banned from attending all gatherings and ordered to resign from the SAIC and the Defiance Campaign planning committee 4 In 1953 Dadoo and others secretly reconstituted the CPSA as the South African Communist Party SACP with Yusuf serving as chairman of the central committee 4 That same year Yusuf was further banned from participating in fifteen protest organisations 4 Under these bans he was unable to openly participate on the Congress Alliance and the writing of the Freedom Charter although he continued to be consulted in secret his advice being greatly respected 2 In 1957 he was explicitly banned from speaking to more than one person at a time 4 Exile and party chairmanship editIn 1960 the Sharpeville Massacre prompted the government to declare a state of national emergency and issue warrants for the arrest of most known leaders of protest organisations Dadoo evaded arrest and operated underground for several months until the SACP in consultation with the SAIC decided to smuggle him out of the country to act as an international spokesperson for the struggle Dadoo strongly disagreed with the idea but was overruled and finally agreed to go into exile in London In 1972 the then chairman of the SACP J B Marks died and Dadoo was unanimously elected in his place 2 He continued in this role as chairman in exile until his death Death edit nbsp Grave of Yusuf Dadoo nbsp Dadoo s grave is situated between that of Saad Saadi Ali left and his wife right Dadoo died of prostate cancer on 19 September 1983 4 Prior to his death he attempted to arrange with Joe Slovo to have his body smuggled to South Africa for burial as an act of defiance but this plan failed 4 Instead he was given a Muslim burial at his behest and interred at Highgate Cemetery alongside fellow Iraqi Communist Muslim activist Saad Saadi Ali and a few metres away from the grave of Karl Marx 2 4 His dying words were You must never give up You must fight to the end 4 nbsp Grave of Karl Marx Yusuf Dadoo s grave is about five metres away to the left Legacy editCondolences were sent by communist and socialist leaders worldwide as well as from other anti apartheid activist leaders In South Africa however a meeting and two pamphlets paying him tribute were immediately banned 4 After the 1994 general election and the downfall of Apartheid Dr Dadoo came to be considered a national hero In Krugersdorp a primary school and a hospital were named after him Centenary celebrations for Dr Dadoo were held in 2009 at the University of Johannesburg 7 In Nelson Mandela s message to the celebrations he called Dadoo one of the giants of our country s struggle for freedom and one of the founders of a democratic South Africa 8 References edit Chris Hani and Dr Yusuf Mohamed Dadoo www durban gov za Archived from the original on 21 September 2017 Retrieved 21 September 2017 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Pahad Essop 1979 A Proud History of Struggle The African Communist 78 South African Communist Party Archived from the original on 15 October 2011 Retrieved 18 June 2011 a b Van Wyk Chris 2006 Yusuf Dadoo Awareness Publishing p 5 ISBN 978 1 77008 156 7 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Shauna Mottiar 2000 Yusuf Dadoo Bafa Begiya Masters in Political Studies thesis University of Witwatersrand a b c d e Pahad Essop 1972 The Development of Indian Political Movements in South Africa 1924 1946 D Phil thesis University of Sussex Xuma Alfred Naicker Monty Dadoo Yusuf 1947 Joint Declaration of Cooperation retrieved 20 June 2011 Blade Nzimande honours Yusuf Dadoo Press release University of Johannesburg 1 September 2009 Retrieved 22 June 2011 Mandela Nelson 5 September 2009 Message to the Dadoo Centenary Celebrations Speech Yusuf Dadoo Centenary Celebrations University of Johannesburg Retrieved 22 June 2011 External links editYusuf Dadoo page at South African History Online dead link Photo of Dadoo and Mao Zedong dead link Photo of Dadoo and Gandhi Photo of Dadoo with Nelson Mandela and James Moroka The Life Story of Yusuf Dadoo national chairman of the South African Communist Party and a tireless fighter for national and social liberation at the SACP Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Yusuf Dadoo amp oldid 1214067335, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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