Mourning South Africa’s Struggle Hero

Anti-apartheid activist Denis Goldberg has died at his home near Cape Town, aged 87. Goldberg was a prominent member of the ruling African National Congress and stood trial alongside Nelson Mandela. He spent 22 years in prison for his involvement with the ANC’s fight against apartheid, the racist system of oppression imposed by the white minority government. When his fellow accused were sent to Robben Island, as a white prisoner Goldberg was separated from them and imprisoned in the capital, Pretoria. Goldberg’s niece, Joy Noero, said the liberation stalwart died peacefully Wednesday after having lung cancer and diabetes. Goldberg had continued his activism in post-apartheid South Africa and was a critic of former president Jacob Zuma, who stepped down in 2018 and faces multiple allegations of corruption. Goldberg was a critic of the ANC’s performance in government and the socio-economic conditions of the largely black poor majority in South Africa, one of the world’s’ most unequal countries. Tributes poured in Thursday for Goldberg, with many acknowledging the role he played in the fight against apartheid.

SOURCE: AFRICA NEWS