Nimrod Sejake
Encyclopedia
Nimrod Sejake was a labor leader in South Africa
in the 1950s. He was a leading member of the Congress of South African Trade Unions
, initially as secretary of the Iron Steel Workers, and became active in the African National Congress
(ANC) in Soweto
in the 1950s.
He was one of the defendants during the Treason Trial
, on his arrest he shared a cell with Nelson Mandela
. For safety reasons he had to seek exile in Ireland
.
Later, he became a prominent figure in the Marxist Workers Tendency of the ANC
.
While in exile, he was presumed dead by the ANC. In the 1980s he was featured on the front cover of an official history of SACTU, the ANC trade union. At the time, the authors and the ANC mistakenly listed Nimrod as being already dead.
After his return from exile, he continued his adherence to socialist ideas and established a socialist reading groups in his township, Evaton.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in the 1950s. He was a leading member of the Congress of South African Trade Unions
Congress of South African Trade Unions
The Congress of South African Trade Unions is a trade union federation in South Africa. It was founded in 1985 and is the biggest of the country’s three main trade union federations, with 21 affiliated trade unions, altogether organising 1.8 million workers.-Establishment:COSATU was established in...
, initially as secretary of the Iron Steel Workers, and became active in the African National Congress
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
(ANC) in Soweto
Soweto
Soweto is a lower-class-populated urban area of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships...
in the 1950s.
He was one of the defendants during the Treason Trial
Treason Trial
The Treason Trial was a trial in which 156 people, including Nelson Mandela, were arrested in a raid and accused of treason in South Africa in 1956....
, on his arrest he shared a cell with Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
. For safety reasons he had to seek exile in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Later, he became a prominent figure in the Marxist Workers Tendency of the ANC
Marxist Workers Tendency of the ANC
The Marxist Workers Tendency of the ANC or MWT was a Trotskyist group within the African National Congress which was eventually expelled from the party.-History:...
.
While in exile, he was presumed dead by the ANC. In the 1980s he was featured on the front cover of an official history of SACTU, the ANC trade union. At the time, the authors and the ANC mistakenly listed Nimrod as being already dead.
After his return from exile, he continued his adherence to socialist ideas and established a socialist reading groups in his township, Evaton.
External links
- More info about Nimrod Sejake
- Interview with Nimrod Sejake, an ANC dissident, "The ANC has sold out!" Interviewed by Laurence Coates Offensiv 385 (10 February 2000)