‘Ebrahim was, as he had always been, beyond fear.’ — Shannon Ebrahim in Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim: A gentle revolutionary

On 16 May 2022, Professor Tawana Kupe and the University of Pretoria’s Future Africa campus hosted the launch of the late Ebrahim Ebrahim’s memoir Beyond fear: Reflections of a freedom fighter. The event featured Minister for International Relations and Cooperation and UP alumnus Dr Naledi Pandor’s very personal reflection of ‘Ebie’, her dear friend and comrade. The audience was also treated to excerpts from the book read by Ebrahim’s two children, Sarah and Kadin, and an insightful discussion between Dr Sithembile Mbete, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Sciences and Director of Programmes at Futurelect, and Ebrahim’s wife, Shannon Ebrahim.

Published by Jacana Media, the book tells the story of Ebrahim’s life after 1994, when he travelled the world doing international conflict resolution work. In her review, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma stated: ‘Beyond fear, the autobiography of Ebrahim Ebrahim, is an insightful account of the life and times of a remarkable and gentle leader of the South African Indian Congress, ANC, SACP, and Umkhonto we Sizwe. The life of commitment, activism and fortitude of Ebrahim Ebrahim, whom we affectionately called Comrade Ebie, provides an excellent canvass by which we can better understand our history.’

Ebrahim first joined the anti-apartheid movement in 1952 when he joined the Natal Indian Congress (NIC). In 1955, he was one of the delegates to the Congress of the People that adopted the Freedom Charter. He would, in 1961, become one of the founding members of the ANC’s armed wing, Umkhonto We Sizwe, and he played a vital role in directing the sabotage campaign of that decade. He was later convicted for this under the Sabotage Act of 1963 and was sentenced to 15 years on Robben Island. Ebrahim commented on the torture he endured during his imprisonment, stating: ‘In prison we were assaulted, starved, underclothed and exposed to bitter cold weather. We were sworn at and humiliated in the most degrading manner. We broke stones and ate a measly meal. For years we were made to stand stark naked for long periods of time in an open courtyard, sometimes in biting cold weather.’ Despite the harsh torture he endured, he was able to use his time in prison to obtain a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Commerce.

After his release from prison, he went into exile in Eswatini (previously known as Swaziland). Here, Ebrahim chaired the ANC’s Regional Political and Military Committee and was responsible for coordinating the ANC’s underground structures in the then Natal and Transvaal provinces. In December 1986, he was abducted from his house and handed over to South African intelligence agents. After a highly publicised 16-month trial, he was once again sentenced to 20 years on Robben Island. However, in 1991, after his abduction from Eswatini was deemed unlawful, Ebrahim was released.

He served as a Member of Parliament in 1994 and was made Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs before being appointed as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs between 2009 and 2015.

The book recounts his political activism and his post-1994 journey, documenting his global peace missions in Israel and Palestine, Zimbabwe, Burundi, East Timor, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Colombia, among other places. ‘Even as he takes up responsibilities in the transition period and in post-apartheid South Africa, his mind was on liberation and the fostering of global peace,’ notes Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

The book also covers his great love story with Shannon Ebrahim, with whom he had two children and who would become his greatest inspiration. Albie Sachs, Justice of the first Constitutional Court of South Africa, commented on the book, saying: ‘Beyond fear is a great gift, not just to Ebi’s family, but to all humanity, with the magic of a fable and the hard brilliance of historical fact.’