Staff Reporter.
Former Minister in the Presidency and anti-apartheid veteran Essop Pahad died in his sleep on Thursday morning at the age of 84.
Pahad served as Minister in the Presidency from 1999 to 2008 and was known as former president Thabo Mbeki’s right-hand man.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was deeply saddened by the death of the struggle stalwart and expressed his condolences to his friends and family.
“We mourn the passing of a veteran of our struggle, 65 years after he took his first revolutionary step of becoming a member of the Transvaal Indian Congress. Security crackdowns, banning and exile shaped Essop Pahad’s contribution over decades to our struggle and, as Parliamentary counsellor to [former] president Thabo Mbeki and Minister in the Presidency, to the early design and impact of our democratic state,” Ramaphosa said.
The Consulate General of India in Johannesburg said Pahad would be remembered for his contribution to public life, his role in the struggle against apartheid and his advocacy for stronger ties between India and South Africa.
Pahad was also a recipient of the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award in 2015.
Close family friend and fellow retired politician Ismail Vadi recalled that Pahad was a “behind-the-scenes” figure in the government who ensured that things got done as directed by President Mbeki.
“But even as he held high office, he had a common touch. He maintained close contact with the grassroots and often took up issues affecting local communities in Lenasia, Johannesburg and Durban, “Vadi said.
In his capacity as Minister in the Presidency, Pahad had overseen offices created to address the rights of children, people with disability and women, as well as the National Youth Commission and the Government Communication and Information Services.
It was the second death in the Pahad family of five brothers shortly after Juned Pahad died last week.
All the brothers were active in the anti-apartheid struggle, following in the footsteps of their father, Goolam Hoosain Ismael Pahad, who was a leading member of the Transvaal Indian Congress and the South African Indian Congress.
His mother Amina was also renowned for her political activism.
Pahad’s political career started in his youth in the rural town of Schweizer-Reneke in the then Transvaal province of South Africa when he became a member of the Transvaal Indian Youth Congress.
The apartheid government arrested him in 1962 for organising an illegal strike, and he was later banned from the country.
In exile, Pahad served in the leadership of the ANC and the SACP. Before he was appointed as a minister, he served as a parliamentary advisor to Mbeki.
He held a PhD in history from the University of Sussex and a master’s degree from the same university.
Born in 1939 in the North-West, avid cricket enthusiast Pahad passed away on Thursday 6 July 2023. The 84-year-old will be sorely missed at the DP World Wanderers Stadium and among the Lions Cricket family at large.
Lions Cricket President, Anne Vilas offered her deepest condolences to Pahad’s family and friends.
“One cannot adequately capture the immense impact Mr Essop Pahad had on our country during his lifetime. We are honoured that through his love of cricket, he touched the hearts of many of our Pride members, all of whom enjoyed the company of a man who served our country and its people with immense pride and passion – always serving what is right. We thank you for your sizeable contributions, your fight, your willpower. May your soul rest in peace, “said Vilas.
Lions Cricket CEO Jono Leaf-Wright recalls with fondness the presence of ‘Uncle Essop’ in the DP World Wanderers Stadium Long Room.
“It seemed as if this larger-than-life leader never missed a home game for every time I entered the Long Room, Pahad was not only present, but wholeheartedly behind the game as if he was out in the middle himself. He held the game of cricket, the administrators and players in the highest regard and will be sorely missed on matchdays and beyond. We thank you Mr Pahad for your significant contributions to Lions Cricket and beyond the boundary in our treasured South Africa,” said Leaf-Wright.
A press release from Cricket South Africa concluded as such: “Essop Pahad was an admired stalwart in South African politics and an influential leader who helped guide South Africa to a democratic future. Go well ‘Uncle Essop,’ you will be missed. Rest in peace.”
Pahad is survived by his wife Meg, two children and several grandchildren.