Yunus "YM" Mohamed (sometimes ''Mahomed'') (12 June 1950 – 6 January 2008) was a South African lawyer and activist instrumental in founding the United Democratic Front (UDF).. Accessed 2008-01-24 Mohamed was born in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

to Amina and Ismail Mohamed, one of at least five children. Growing up in Jeppe, he was educated at Gold Street Primary School and William Hills Secondary School. He then went to

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ...

, to the

University of Durban-Westville The University of Durban-Westville (UDW) was a university situated in Westville, a town situated near Durban, South Africa, which opened in 1972. It is now one of the campuses of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It was initially established for ...

, where in 1972 he took part in SASO's student boycotts. He eventually graduated from the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA), known colloquially as Unisa, is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, U ...

. He joined the

Natal Indian Congress The Natal Indian Congress (NIC) was an organisation that aimed to fight discrimination against Indians in South Africa. The Natal Indian Congress was proposed by Mahatma Gandhi on 22 May 1894. established on 22 August 1894. Gandhi was the H ...

(NIC) in 1970, and later the

South African Communist Party The South African Communist Party (SACP) is a communist party in South Africa. It was founded in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), tactically dissolved itself in 1950 in the face of being declared illegal by the governing Na ...

(SACP) and

ANC The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election installe ...

. In 1976 he became an attorney, going on to work for the law firm of Shun Chetty, which had a record of defending anti-

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

activists. He joined the Democratic Lawyers' Association and his work included the Chatsworth housing action committee and the Natal rates committee. From 1981 to 82 he was detained, and in 1985 was arrested again. In 1986 he served on the economic intelligence desk of the ANC. He was involved in negotiations with the

Inkatha Freedom Party The Inkatha Freedom Party ( zu, IQembu leNkatha yeNkululeko, IFP) is a right-wing political party in South Africa. The party has been led by Velenkosini Hlabisa since the party's 2019 National General Conference. Mangosuthu Buthelezi founded t ...

to help reduce political violence in

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

. He was a founding member of the UDF in 1983, and later became regional secretary for Natal. According to fellow UDF founder

Trevor Manuel Trevor Andrew Manuel (born 31 January 1956) is a South African politician who served in the government of South Africa as Minister of Finance from 1996 to 2009, during the presidencies of Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe, and ...

When three senior members of the UDF –

Frank Chikane Frank Chikane (born 3 January 1951 in Bushbuckridge, Transvaal) is a South African civil servant, writer and cleric. He is a member of the African National Congress and moderator of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs for th ...

Popo Molefe Popo Simon Molefe (born 26 April 1952 in Sophiatown, Johannesburg) is a businessman and former politician from South Africa. Early life One of eight children, Molefe was the son of a laborer and a domestic worker, though he was raised largely by ...

and

Patrick Lekota Mosiuoa Gerard Patrick Lekota (born 13 August 1948) is a South African politician, who currently serves as the President and Leader of the Congress of the People since 16 December 2008. Previously as a member of the African National Congress, ...

– and 19 others were arrested for treason, Mohamed was an instructing attorney in what became known as the

Delmas Treason Trial The Delmas Treason Trial (1985–1988) in South Africa was the prosecution of 22 anti-apartheid activists under security laws, with the intention of suppressing the United Democratic Front (UDF).Gerhard, Gail"Trial by Color" ''New York Times ...

. The trial ran from 1985 to 1988, with sentences being overturned by the Supreme Court in 1989. Post apartheid, he was a founding trustee of the

Kagiso Trust Kagiso is a township situated in Krugersdorp west of Johannesburg in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The word ''kagiso'' means peace in Tswana. Kagiso's administration comprises five wards, each headed by a councillor. History Kagiso was establi ...

, of which he was chairman at his death in 2008.. Accessed 2008-01-24 Mohamed's partner,

Dhaya Pillay Dhayanithie Pillay (born 5 January 1958) is a South African judge of the Labour Court and KwaZulu-Natal High Court. Early life Pillay was born in Durban in 1958 and completed her B.Proc at UNISA in 1982. Early in her career as an attorney, ...

, is a senior judge in the Labour Court of South Africa.

References

1950 births 2008 deaths Musicians from Johannesburg University of South Africa alumni African National Congress politicians South African Communist Party politicians Natal Indian Congress politicians {{SouthAfrica-politician-stub