Sad passing of Leon Levy, stalwart resistance leader

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) is saddened by the passing of Leon Levy, stalwart resistance leader in the formative years of the anti-Apartheid struggle.

As President of the SA Congress of Trade Unions, Mr Levy was involved in all the major campaigns of the Congress movement, including the famous Congress of the People. On behalf of the unions, he was one of the six original signatories to the Freedom Charter, adopted at that historic gathering as the basis for a future democratic, non-racial South Africa. As a result of his political activities, he was subjected to constant harassment, intimidation and judicial persecution by the apartheid regime. He was among those who stood in the dock alongside such iconic figures in the resistance movement as Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu during the Treason Trial and later became the first person to be detained under the 90-day detention law. On his return from exile following the demise of apartheid, he resumed his trade union work, inter alia playing a key role in COSATU’s submission to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The SAJBD’s association with Leon Levy goes back to 2015, when he was the keynote speaker at an event organised by the Board to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Freedom Charter. In recognition of a life devoted to fighting for justice for his fellow South Africans and for the rights of the vulnerable and under-privileged in our society, the SAJBD presented him with the Rabbi Cyril and Ann Harris Human Rights Award at its national conference later that year. Mr Levy also spoke at Jewish schools in Johannesburg, sharing his experiences in the struggle for non-racial democracy with staff and learners and inspiring them with the moral example that he and those like him had set during those times.

Leon Levy has an honored place among those brave men and women who took a stand against injustice, and whose vision and sacrifices made possible the birth of a free South Africa that truly belongs to all who live in it. His name stands tall in the annals of the liberation struggle, and the SAJBD pays tribute to his memory.