By Siva Naidoo
In the late 1970s, South Africa was a nation under siege by apartheid a harsh and inhumane system of racial segregation and class discrimination. For those of us who yearned for change, the struggle was personal and relentless. As a young activist, my journey began in earnest in 1977, a pivotal year when I crossed paths with Pravin Gordhan, known to his friends as PG.
At the time, I was part of the Tongaat Youth Club, a group with members whose militancy and desire to bring about political change knew no bounds. Our fervour caught the eye of Vish Suparsad, the Tongaat Child Welfare Societys first community worker.
It was Vish who introduced me to PG, a remarkable figure whose intellect and charisma left a lasting impression on me. PG, with his distinctive long hair and robust physique, commanded attention. He was in tune with the politics of our small, sugar town of Tongaat, governed then by the Tongaat Town Board.
PGs influence was profound, serving as my real baptism of fire into the furnace of South African liberation politics. His ability to articulate complex ideas with clarity and purpose inspired not only me but countless others. He taught us that the true vanguard of the struggle against apartheid was the masses themselves.
